U.S. Senate Republicans reject War Powers resolution after Trump berates them
Republicans in the U.S. Senate, who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran, held a late-night vote on Wednesday
Republicans in the U.S. Senate, who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran, held a late-night vote on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) to try to appease him, rejecting a War powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed. Trump harangued GOP Senators face to face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday (June 23, 2026), further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure. Hours later, though, Mr. Cassidy was invited to receive a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice-President J.D. Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff. He then returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate but nearly identical 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,” said Mr. Cassidy, who lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, in a post on X. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who has repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present this time “to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” he said on X. The measure failed 47-50-1 just before midnight on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), and the Senate then left town for a two-week recess. Signal that Republican Senators still want to placate Trump It’s unclear whether the move will be enough to appease Mr. Trump, who had called the Republicans “losers” for voting against his war and had called Sen. Bill Cassidy a “lunatic” at the lunch after their tense exchange.
But the vote was a clear signal to the president from Republican senators who still want to placate him, despite increasing tensions in recent weeks and his decision Wednesday morning (June 24, 2026) to reverse himself and delay signing a housing bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and a small group of his Senate GOP colleagues called Mr. Trump after the vote. Thune told reporters that the president was “pleased with the outcome.” Trump later thanked Mr. Thune in a social media post and noted that Mr. Cassidy and Mr. Paul had switched their votes. “This vote puts Iran on notice!” he wrote. The War Powers measure blocked by the Senate on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) was on a separate track from the nearly identical resolution adopted on Tuesday (June 23, 2026), which had also been passed by the House. Both votes were largely symbolic, and the measures do not carry the full force of law. Trump-Cassidy exchange Invited by Florida Sen. Rick Scott to speak at a GOP luncheon in the Capitol, Mr. Trump had signaled ahead of time that he would use the closed-door meeting to push senators to pass his proof-of-citizenship voting bill. But the conversation was more focused on Tuesday’s vote on war powers. Most Republicans stayed quiet. But Mr. Cassidy stood up and defended his vote. “I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” he told reporters after the meeting. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.” The two men “went back and forth,” Mr. Cassidy said, and he “matched his tone and volume.” Mr. Cassidy said that he eventually de-escalated, but he did not want to be bullied. “I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing,” he said afterward. Trump repeatedly told Mr. Cassidy to sit down, according to a person familiar with the private meeting who was not authorised to discuss it.
The BriefWire