An effort by Senate Democrats to restrict President Trump’s executive powers through a resolution invoking the War Powers Act was defeated on Friday evening, largely along party lines, with a 53-47 vote.
On Friday, the Senate rejected a Democratic measure that aimed to require President Trump to obtain Congressional approval before taking further military action against Iran, hindering attempts to limit his war authority.
The vote, which resulted in a 53-to-47 decision to block the resolution, occurred nearly a week after the president independently ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites without consulting Congress. This decision followed an intense debate on the Senate floor over Congress’s role in authorizing military force.
The measure, sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, invoked the War Powers Act, a 1973 law aimed at limiting a president’s power to enter an armed conflict without the consent of Congress. It would have required the White House to notify lawmakers and seek the approval of both the House and Senate before U.S. forces could take further military action against Iran.
Barrasso added that passage of the war powers provision would “prevent the president from protecting us in the future.”
