Senate Republicans Reversed Iran War Powers Vote Hours After Trump Tirade

A late-night capitulation on Capitol Hill

Less than 24 hours after the Republican-controlled Senate voted to rebuke President Trump's war in Iran, GOP senators reversed course in a late-night do-over vote, rejecting a nearly identical war powers resolution 50–47.theguardian The dramatic reversal came hours after Trump berated Republican lawmakers during a closed-door lunch on Capitol Hill, singling out the senators who had crossed him and calling their earlier vote a betrayal of his administration's military campaign.theguardian Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Trump after the vote to report the outcome; Trump later posted on Truth Social that the reversal "puts Iran on notice."usatoday

A presidential tirade flips two votes

The initial bipartisan war powers resolution, passed Tuesday with support from four Republicans — Senators Rand Paul, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski — directed Trump to seek congressional authorization or end the Iran conflict within 30 days.theguardian At Wednesday's lunch, Trump confronted Cassidy directly, asking why anyone would vote for the War Powers Act. Cassidy pushed back in the room, later telling reporters he regretted losing his temper.usatoday By evening, Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff had invited Cassidy to the White House for a private briefing on the war. Cassidy emerged reassured: "I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing," he posted on X.theguardian

Paul, who has consistently opposed executive war-making authority, voted "present" rather than switching outright, explaining he wanted to give the president "more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace."usatoday The measure failed 47–50–1, and the Senate then departed for a two-week Fourth of July recess.

Symbolic but consequential

Both the original resolution and the reversed vote carry no binding legal force — each is largely symbolic under the War Powers Resolution framework.theguardian The House had passed its own version of the war powers measure weeks earlier, but the White House has contested Congress's authority to rein in presidential war powers, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing that the legislative branch cannot direct military operations already underway.theguardian The back-and-forth nonetheless laid bare a genuine rift within the Republican Party over a conflict that has drawn the United States into sustained hostilities with Iran while a fragile ceasefire agreement remains under strain.usatoday

Trump celebrates, Cassidy pays a personal price

Trump's victory lap came with a pointed subtext: he had already endorsed Cassidy's opponent in Louisiana's Senate primary, and Cassidy lost that race last month.theguardian Whether the vote switch is enough to repair that relationship remains unclear. Trump called Cassidy a "lunatic" during the lunch, according to people familiar with the meeting, and the senator acknowledged the exchange was heated.theguardian For the broader Republican caucus, the episode underscored the political cost of defying a president willing to mobilize his base against sitting members of his own party — even on questions of war and constitutional authority.usatoday