The measure, brought under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, failed by a single vote, 50 to 49. It was the seventh attempt in the Senate to pass such a measure since the war began in late February, and the first time Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, voted for it.
“You've got a timeline that has taken us beyond the 60 days,” Murkowski told reporters after the vote. “I thought that perhaps we would get …more clarity from the administration in terms of where we are, and I haven't received it.”
Under the War Powers Resolution, presidents may introduce U.S. armed forces into hostilities for 60 days without congressional approval, after which authorization from Congress is required for military operations to continue. That clock began on March 2, when Trump formally notified Congress of military action against Iran, following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes launched days earlier.
But Democrats—and now a small but growing number of Republicans—have rejected that interpretation, pointing to continued military activity in the region, including U.S. naval operations blockading Iranian ports and recent Iranian attacks in the region that prompted American retaliation. Sen. Jeff Merkley, the Oregon Democrat who sponsored Wednesday’s resolution, argued on the Senate floor that “both sides are engaged in a daily war.”
The White House argues the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, and that Trump is only complying with “elements” of it to maintain good relations with Congress. “The War Powers Act is unconstitutional, 100 percent,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a recent White House briefing, claiming that the same position has been shared by “every single president” since the law passed in 1973. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators Tuesday that if Trump decided to restart combat operations, the Administration believed it already had “all the authorities necessary to do so.”
“The President made it very clear: clear that the major fighting has halted, clear that the American ceasefire has held for more than a month, and our naval blockade is working,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the no. 2 Senate Republican. “This week, President Trump is meeting with China overseas. Democrats right here in the Senate want to pull the rug out from under him.”
Murkowski’s shift appeared especially significant because she had previously resisted efforts to force an end to military operations, arguing that an outright cutoff could be too abrupt. In recent weeks, however, she has increasingly questioned the administration’s insistence that the conflict had effectively ended and has explored the possibility of drafting a separate authorization for the use of military force against Iran.
For Democrats, Wednesday’s vote nonetheless served as evidence that Republican unity behind the war may be eroding.
“We know what our colleagues are hearing,” Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said before the vote. “We’re starting to hear doubt creep into their words.”
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