Senate GOP Rejects War Powers Resolution After Trump Clash
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans voted down a war powers resolution late Wednesday night, just hours after President Donald Trump personally berated GOP senators during a closed-door meeting at the Capitol, demanding they reject any attempt to constrain his military authority over the ongoing conflict with Iran. The 47-50-1 vote marked a dramatic reversal from the previous day, when the Senate had passed a nearly identical measure 50-48.
According to AP News, two Republican senators — Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rand Paul of Kentucky — switched their votes from Tuesday to Wednesday, handing the administration a critical victory. Cassidy, who had voted with Democrats on Tuesday, voted against the resolution after receiving a personal White House briefing. Paul voted “present,” saying he wanted to give the president “more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.”
A Heated Confrontation at the Capitol
The reversal came after an extraordinary sequence of events on Wednesday. Trump had been invited by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to address Senate Republicans at their weekly luncheon. But what was intended as a conciliatory meeting quickly turned contentious.
Trump called Republicans who voted against him “losers” and singled out Cassidy, whom he reportedly called a “lunatic” during a heated exchange. Cassidy, who lost his Louisiana GOP primary last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, stood his ground.
“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy told reporters after the meeting, as The Guardian reported. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”
Cassidy said he “matched his tone and volume” with the president and refused to be bullied. “I’m not going to be bullied when I feel like I’m asking a question the American people need to know,” he told CNBC.
The White House Briefing That Flipped a Vote
After the tense lunch, Cassidy received an unexpected invitation: a personal briefing on the Iran war at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. He then returned to the Capitol and voted against the war powers resolution.
“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” Cassidy posted on X.
Rand Paul, who had repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, offered a different rationale for his shift. Voting “present” rather than in favor, he said the move was designed “to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.”
Symbolic but Significant
Both war powers resolutions are largely symbolic. As concurrent resolutions, they express the sentiment of Congress but do not carry the full force of law and are not presented to the president for signature. Middle East analyst Laura Blumenfeld described the measure as “more of a slap on a wrist than a handcuff, because it has no legal binding,” as BBC News reported.
Nevertheless, the political significance is substantial. This marks the first time a Republican-controlled Congress has formally rebuked a Republican president on war powers. Prof. Michael Glennon of Tufts University told the BBC: “You have both houses of Congress, which are under the control of the Republican Party, standing up to the president and saying no. That’s almost unprecedented.”
Broader Tensions: The Housing Bill Saga
The war powers drama unfolded against a backdrop of escalating friction between Trump and Senate Republicans. Earlier Wednesday, Trump abruptly canceled a scheduled Capitol Hill signing ceremony for a landmark bipartisan housing bill — legislation that had passed both chambers with overwhelming support and was seen as a major election-year achievement.
Trump declared on Truth Social that he would not sign the housing bill until Congress passed the SAVE America Act, a controversial voter ID measure that lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told reporters the move “makes no sense to me.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who co-led the housing bill, criticized Trump’s decision. “This just doesn’t make any sense, other than whatever it is he wants to do is a complete indifference to the cost squeeze on American families,” she told CNBC.
Trump’s Grip on the Party
After the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Trump, who expressed satisfaction with the outcome. Trump later posted on Truth Social: “This vote puts Iran on notice!”
The rapid reversal of Cassidy and Paul demonstrates Trump’s continued influence over congressional Republicans, even as tensions simmer. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who also lost his primary after Trump endorsed his opponent, warned: “If we’re going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page. We’re not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.”
What’s Next
The war powers vote is unlikely to have a practical impact on the Iran conflict, which began on February 28 with US-Israel airstrikes and entered a fragile ceasefire on April 7. The Pentagon has requested $80 billion from Congress for the war, and the Trump administration has argued that the ceasefire reset the 60-day clock requiring congressional approval.
With the November midterm elections approaching, Republican senators face a difficult balancing act: appeasing Trump to avoid primary challenges versus addressing voter concerns about affordability and an unpopular war. The fate of the housing bill — and whether Trump will ultimately sign it — remains an open question that could shape the political landscape heading into election season.
As the Senate left town for a two-week recess, the underlying tensions between the executive and legislative branches showed no signs of abating.