The US Senate passed a measure on Tuesday directing President Trump to end the war in Iran without congressional approval, joining the House in the first such bipartisan rebuke since the 1973 War Powers Resolution, according to BBC News. The 50-48 vote, with four Republicans crossing the aisle, highlights growing opposition as oil prices have surged and the Pentagon seeks $80 billion for the campaign amid an April ceasefire and new negotiations.
The Senate vote saw Republicans Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Bill Cassidy join Democrats in favor while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman cast the only no vote from his party. A White House official told BBC News that the measure passed only because Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick were absent. The official added that the April 7 ceasefire means there are no active hostilities from which to withdraw forces, rendering the resolution moot in practical terms.
This marked the 10th time Senate Democrats forced a war powers vote since strikes began on Feb. 28. A Congressional Research Service assessment found that the 1973 resolution, passed over President Nixon’s veto, requires presidential notification to Congress within 48 hours of committing forces and limits engagements to 60 days without explicit approval. The Trump administration has maintained that the April ceasefire reset that clock while allowing for a potential 30-day national security extension.
Global oil prices climbed sharply after the conflict erupted, with Brent crude reaching a peak of $120 per barrel from below $70 beforehand before falling toward $73 in recent days as tanker traffic resumed through the Strait of Hormuz. Trading Economics data places current levels near their lowest in three months following interim peace deals and a 60-day US waiver for Iranian crude purchases. A separate BBC report linked the energy cost spike directly to inflationary pressures across economies, a factor cited by multiple lawmakers in backing the resolution.
The Pentagon’s simultaneous request for roughly $80 billion in funding, most directed toward the Iran campaign, came as some Republicans have increasingly broken with the president on foreign policy. Those divisions include prior rejection of a proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponisation fund and approval of Ukraine aid packages. BBC News reported the war powers action as the latest sign of GOP unease ahead of November midterm elections that will test the party’s narrow majorities in both chambers.
Enacted in 1973 following the Vietnam War, the War Powers Resolution has been cited in numerous conflicts but produced few binding withdrawals, according to the Nixon Presidential Library. During Trump’s first term, Congress advanced similar measures on Iran and Yemen support that passed but fell short of veto-proof margins, a PBS Newshour review noted. The current resolution will not be forwarded to the president and carries no legal weight despite its historic dual-chamber approval.
Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding last week committing to 60 days of negotiations aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program while sustaining the ceasefire. Both sides have described the talks as constructive even as differences remain over inspector access and sanctions relief. The congressional votes nevertheless underscore persistent legislative skepticism toward the executive branch’s management of the conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes in late February.
