The Senate walked back its rebuke of President Trump over his Iran war just one day after voting to restrict his military powers, as key Republicans flipped their votes following a tense Capitol meeting with the president.
On Tuesday, June 23, the Senate passed a war powers resolution 50-48 directing Trump to halt military action against Iran, marking the first time the chamber had approved such a measure. But on Wednesday night, after Trump vented his frustrations to GOP senators at a closed-door lunch, the chamber rejected a nearly identical resolution 47-50-1, with the vote failing just before midnight.
The dramatic reversal centered on two Republicans who changed course. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who had voted for Tuesday’s resolution, voted against the Wednesday measure after receiving a classified briefing at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who had repeatedly supported Iran war powers measures, voted present on Wednesday “to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” he said on X.
The shift came hours after a heated confrontation between Trump and Senate Republicans at a Capitol luncheon. Trump had called off a scheduled signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill earlier Wednesday to pressure the chamber on his proof-of-citizenship voting measure, then used the closed-door meeting to rail against senators who had voted for the Iran resolution. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Cassidy, at one point telling him to sit down and calling him a “lunatic,” according to a person familiar with the private meeting.
Cassidy told reporters afterward that he “stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on'” and defended his vote by noting the war “was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.” He said the two men “went back and forth” and he “matched his tone and volume,” but he wanted to make clear he would not be bullied.
Hours after the contentious lunch, Cassidy was invited to the White House for the briefing with Vance and Witkoff. “I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” Cassidy wrote on X, confirming the briefing “address[ed] many of my concerns.” He then returned to the Capitol to vote against the Wednesday resolution.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Wyoming Republican, helped “seal the deal” in conversations with some key GOP members, according to reporting. After the vote, Thune called Trump and told reporters the president was “pleased with the outcome.” Trump later thanked Thune and noted that Cassidy and Paul had switched their votes, writing on Truth Social: “This vote puts Iran on notice!”
The war powers measures were largely symbolic and do not carry the full force of law. The Trump administration has argued the U.S. is no longer engaged in hostilities with Iran since the two sides entered into a ceasefire, and it has said it believes the 1973 War Powers Resolution itself is unconstitutional. Still, Trump has publicly and privately vented about the votes, arguing the rebukes from Congress undermine his efforts to negotiate with Iran.
Tuesday’s Senate vote marked the first time both the House and Senate had passed a concurrent resolution to limit Trump’s Iran war powers, following weeks of congressional efforts to constrain the conflict. Four Republicans had joined Democrats to vote yes on Tuesday’s measure, including Cassidy and Paul, as well as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who again voted to advance the Wednesday resolution.
Sources
- CBS News — Senate rejection of the Wednesday measure, vote count, Cassidy and Paul’s vote switches, details of the Trump-Cassidy confrontation, Vance and Witkoff briefing, and quotes from Cassidy
- PBS NewsHour — Senate Republicans’ late-night vote, Trump’s harsh words with Cassidy, Cassidy’s account of the lunch meeting, Cassidy’s White House briefing, Rand Paul’s reasoning for voting present, and Senate Majority Leader Thune’s call to Trump
- Reuters — Tuesday’s Senate vote of 50-48 passing the war powers resolution
- The New York Times — Late-night vote aimed at mollifying Trump, Senate Republicans’ rejection of the resolution
