US Senate Votes to Curb President Trump's War Powers on Iran

The US Senate on May 2 advanced a procedural step to push forward a War Powers Resolution aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from using military force against Iran without congressional approval. The procedural vote passed 50-47, with several Republican senators joining their Democratic colleagues, marking a rare instance of criticism toward the president.

The result underscores a small but growing faction within the Republican Party uneasy about the seemingly endless conflict amid a fragile ceasefire and increasingly willing to defy the president. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said before the vote: 'This president is like a toddler playing with a loaded gun. If there was ever a time to support a war powers resolution to withdraw from hostilities with Iran, it is now.'

The vote represents a win for lawmakers who have argued that Congress—not the president—holds the constitutional authority to send troops into battle. However, it was only a procedural vote, and the resolution faces significant hurdles before taking effect. Three Republican senators were absent from the May 2 vote, and if they maintain a pro-war stance, their votes could defeat the resolution. Even if the 100-member Senate passes it, the resolution must clear the Republican-controlled House and requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override a veto from President Trump.

Trump's Republican Party has blocked seven previous attempts to advance similar resolutions in the Senate this year. They have also blocked three war powers resolutions in the House by narrow margins. The May 2 vote highlights growing pressure on the president as the war launched by the US and Israel in late February continues to roil global energy markets and domestic living costs.

Democratic and some Republican lawmakers are calling on Trump to seek congressional authorization for the war, fearing he may have drawn the US into a prolonged conflict with no clear exit strategy. The Trump administration argues that the president's actions are legal under his commander-in-chief powers and responsibility to protect the US through limited military operations.

Under the 1973 War Powers Act, enacted after the Vietnam War, a US president can conduct military operations for up to 60 days before needing to end them, seek congressional authorization, or request a 30-day extension for reasons of 'unavoidable military necessity involving the safety of US Armed Forces while withdrawing.' Trump stated on May 1 that the ceasefire with Tehran had 'ended' hostilities, meaning he was not waging war against Iran beyond 60 days. Nevertheless, US forces continue to blockade Iranian ports and strike Iranian vessels, while Tehran blocks the Strait of Hormuz and attacks US ships.

Public opinion polls show US voters oppose the war, which legal experts deem a violation of international law.