Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against the measure. Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted in favour, as did Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, days after he lost his primary to an opponent backed by Trump.
The war-powers vote was the second in the Senate since the conflict hit a deadline on May 1, 60 days after Trump formally informed Congress that the conflict had started, for Trump to come to Congress about the war.
Under a 1973 US war-powers law passed in response to the Vietnam War, a US president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it, asking Congress for authorisation or seeking a 30-day extension due to “unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces” while withdrawing forces.
Trump declared on May 1 that a ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities against Iran.
Despite that assertion, the US has been blockading Iranian ports and striking Iranian ships, and Iran has been effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking US ships.
Democrats, and a few Republicans, have called on the Trump administration to come to Congress for authorisation to use military force, noting that the US Constitution says that Congress, not the president, can declare war.
Republicans, and the White House, say US actions are legal and within the president’s rights as commander in chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations.
Some congressional Republicans have accused Democrats of filing the war-powers resolutions only because of their partisan opposition to Trump.
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