Defense & National Security Newsletter

GOP stops 4th attempt to curtail Trump’s Iran war powers

by Ellen Mitchell - 04/15/26 7:07 PM ET

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by Ellen Mitchell - 04/15/26 7:07 PM ET

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The Big Story

GOP stops 4th attempt to curtail Trump’s Iran war powers

Senate Republicans for the fourth time have blocked a resolution to limit President Trump’s war authority in Iran for as the conflict inches closer to a 60-day limit.

The vote was 47-52, mostly along party lines, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voting with Democrats in favor of the bill and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) opposing it. Their votes have remained the same since the Senate’s first Iran war powers vote in March. Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) did not vote.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) forced the vote on the Senate floor “to end Trump’s needless and expensive war of choice against Iran,” she wrote on the social platform X.

“The American people do not want higher costs, rampant lies and chaos,” she added. “The Senate must act.”

Although the votes on the war powers resolutions have remained static, some Republicans have expressed concerns with Trump’s rhetoric around the conflict and are looking for a quick end to the fighting.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who voted against Duckworth’s resolution, has been working with other Senate Republicans on a resolution to authorize military force against Iran beyond the 60- to 90-day period set by the 1973 War Powers Act to respond to national security threats without congressional authorization.

These GOP lawmakers believe Congress will need to step in to authorize the war if it lasts through the end of May before agreeing to approve Trump’s request for more military funding.

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said he will not support any funding until the Trump administration is clearer about its objectives. He called for an end to the war once it reaches 60 days without congressional approval, citing the War Powers Act.

Curtis on Monday warned against deploying a large contingent of ground troops to Iran as “not be a place I would want to go.”

Democrats in both chambers have forced repeated votes on Iran war powers in a bid to pressure Republicans as the conflict drags and gas prices rise.

House Democrats plan to force a vote on legislation to end the conflict this week. Though party leaders expected the vote to happen when they secured enough support for passage, Rep. Greg Meeks (N.Y.), the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Hill he was ready to force the hands of any Republicans on the fence.

“I can’t wait anymore to see what they’re going to do,” Meeks said. “Let ’em vote, and we’ll see what happens.”

Read the full report at thehill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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