The Senate has again voted down an effort to limit President Trump’s authority to escalate the conflict with Iran, marking the third failed attempt as the operation nears its fourth week. As reported by CBS News (), the latest defeat comes with no clear exit strategy from the administration.
The Democrat-led resolution failed in a 53 to 47 vote. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against advancing it, while Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in support.
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey led the measure, which would have required the president to withdraw United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress specifically authorized military action through a declaration of war or an authorization for the use of military force. Congress has not passed either for Iran.
The vote added to a growing pattern
The resolution came up while Republicans were locked in an unusually long debate over elections legislation that Trump has aggressively backed. Even with Republicans tying up the floor, Democrats were able to force the war powers vote because the measure qualified as a privileged resolution.
This was not the first recent attempt to curb Trump’s authority on Iran. A similar resolution introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia was defeated on March 4, following another failed vote after U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites last June.
Trump has said he expects the war to end soon, but he has not provided a timeline or ruled out sending ground forces into Iran, amid the Strait of Hormuz appeal. That uncertainty has become a central concern for lawmakers pushing for more congressional oversight.
After the March defeat, a group of Democratic senators said they would keep pressing the issue if Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not testify publicly about the war. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, they said they would slow other Senate business if administration officials did not appear for public hearings.
Booker said earlier this month that Democrats would use every lever available to stop business as usual. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has also accused the administration of avoiding public hearings because it cannot defend the conflict in public.
Murphy argued the administration would struggle to answer questions about rising gas prices, whether it is pursuing regime change, and how it plans to deal with Iran’s nuclear material without a ground invasion. He said those explanations could cost the administration support in the Senate.
Top intelligence officials did appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday during the annual worldwide threats assessment hearing, where much of the questioning focused on Iran. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, amid Gabbard’s 2019 Iran tweet, deferred to Trump when asked about his claim that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States.
The administration and most congressional Republicans have argued Trump acted within his legal authority when he ordered the strikes. In a letter to Congress in early March, Trump said the attacks were necessary to eliminate threats and acknowledged it was not yet possible to know the full scope or duration of military operations that may be required.
Published: Mar 19, 2026 08:00 am