Senate redo of Iran war powers vote pleases Trump
by Lindsey McPherson · The Washington TimesThe Senate late Wednesday held a second vote in as many days on a measure to end the war with Iran, this time with a different result designed to please President Trump.
It worked.
Two of the four Republicans who helped pass the war powers resolution on Tuesday changed their positions the following day, acquiescing to the president who argued their previous positions undermined his leverage to negotiate a peace deal.
“Wow! The Senate just changed its vote on Iran,” Mr. Trump posted on social media, thanking Republicans who ensured the redo vote to end the war failed. “This vote puts Iran on notice!”
Senate Democrats have forced procedural votes on war powers resolutions to end hostilities against Iran nearly weekly since the conflict started.
On Tuesday, they took advantage of GOP absences to bring up a House-passed version of the war powers resolution for a direct up or down vote.
SEE ALSO: Trump spars with GOP senators on Iran war powers, pushes SAVE America Act
The measure passed 50-48, but would have deadlocked in a tie had Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and David McCormick of Pennsylvania voted.
Mr. McConnell has been absent for nearly two weeks due to an unspecified medical issue. Mr. McCormick left the Senate that afternoon to travel with Mr. Trump to his home state for a factory visit and rally focused on the economy.
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The president was livid that four Republican “losers” voted for the measure and allowed it to pass, saying it undermined his leverage in peace negotiations with Iran and effectively “provided aid and comfort to the enemy.”
“Iran asked my people, ’what does that all mean?’” Mr. Trump posted on social media. “These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other, because I always get it done!”
Mr. Trump took his frustrations over the vote into a Wednesday lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol, where he asked why any of them would have supported the war powers resolution.
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the four Republicans who voted for it, asked whether it was a rhetorical question or whether the president really wanted to know. Mr. Trump welcomed an answer, so the senator gave him one.
“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks; it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on,’” Mr. Cassidy said, recounting the conversation to reporters after the meeting.
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He said Mr. Trump “did not particularly care” for that assessment and raised his voice in response.
The senator admitted he also lost his temper, saying it was inappropriate, but he matched the president’s tone and volume and the argument went back and forth.
“I make no apologies for standing up to the president, if you will, trying to demand that more information be shared with the Senate, and more information be shared with the American people,” Mr. Cassidy said.
Senate Republicans quickly orchestrated the redo war powers vote after the president’s blowup.
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“The president’s concern about Iran being emboldened by this vote in the middle of negotiations to end this war is not unwarranted. Frankly, it’s just common sense,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said on X. “What’s ironic is that votes like this have the unintended consequence of extending the conflict.”
Mr. Graham suggested the Senate revote on the measure and defeat it. But the Senate could not take up the same resolution that had already passed, so they held a procedural vote on another war powers measure Democrats successfully advanced a few weeks ago – again due to GOP absences.
This time, they killed it in a 47-50 vote, with Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul voting “present.”
Mr. McConnell was still absent for the vote, as was Sen. Michael Bennet, Colorado Democrat.
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Mr. Cassidy flipped his vote to “no” just hours after his blowup with the president, attributing his change of heart to finally receiving a briefing from the administration on how it plans to achieve the objectives laid out at the start of the war.
“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran,” Mr. Cassidy posted on X, referring to Vice President J.D. Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. “I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”
Mr. Paul, the only Republican who has sided with Democrats on every single war powers vote, changed his vote to “present” based on the president’s argument that it was sending the wrong signal to Iran.
“My opinion on the debate over war and executive power has not changed,” he said on X. “But since hostilities seem to be over and the President asked me to give consideration to his negotiating position, I will do so.”
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Mr. Paul said his “present” vote is a way to give Mr. Trump “more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.”
Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska maintained their support for ending the war, which Congress has not authorized.
Democrats say the measure Republicans rejected on Wednesday does not override the one they passed on Tuesday.
Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat who authored the resolution Republicans called up for Wednesday night’s vote, said he would still vote for it, but it is now “completely superfluous” since both chambers have already acted.
“Congress has clearly spoken and rebuked the president for starting an illegal war and saying he can’t restart it without us,” he said.
There is a key difference, however, between the war powers resolution Congress passed and the others the Senate has rejected.
The latter have been joint resolutions of disapproval that carry the force of law. Had the joint resolutions reached Mr. Trump’s desk, he would have vetoed them and Congress would not have been able to muster up the two-thirds majority to override it.
The House structured its war powers measure as a concurrent resolution, which is effectively a message approved by both chambers of Congress that does not go to the president for signature. That is what both chambers passed.
Concurrent resolutions do not typically carry the force of law, but Democrats argue that this one is binding because of authorities that the 1973 War Powers Act gave Congress to prevent or stop armed conflicts that don’t have congressional approval.
Democrats said they are prepared to enforce the congressionally approved war powers resolution through the courts if necessary, but Republicans say they are not worried since the Supreme Court has previously ruled concurrent resolutions unconstitutional.
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Lindsey McPherson
lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com
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