The Senate defeated legislation aimed at halting the U.S. military campaign against Iran,
-- the second unsuccessful attempt to rein in Donald Trump as the conflict nears the three-week mark.

The 47-53 vote Wednesday on the Democratic-led bid to require congressional approval to continue the military campaign is identical to a vote that failed earlier this month.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has tangled with the administration on Iran and other foreign interventions, was the lone Republican to side with Democrats while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) opposed the effort.

Republican unity in the face of another politically fraught vote shows Trump still commands ample support from his party to wage the war, at least for now.

Most GOP lawmakers have been willing to grant Trump latitude despite questions about the administration’s mental and moral competence
and fallout that has seen Iran close off the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint for oil shipments in the Middle East.

But Democrats have signaled they’ll force more votes, potentially tying up Republicans’ agenda in the Senate, unless top Trump administration officials come to publicly make the case for the war to lawmakers.

A cadre of Democrats
— led by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.),
Adam Schiff (D-Calif.),
Chris Murphy (D-Conn.),
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.),
Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
and Kaine
— filed six separate measures to end U.S. military involvement in Iran.

Those measures are privileged,
meaning the sponsors can force expedited votes that bypass the Senate’s typical 60-vote threshold to advance bills.

Those senators contend that the consequences of the war
— including 13 U.S. troops killed,
a multi-billion-dollar cost for military operations
and rising gas prices
— will force some Republicans to reconsider their support if the conflict,
which is already unpopular according to polling,
drags on.

“Maybe they won’t change their votes,” Murphy said before the vote.

“But this war doesn’t get more popular as the days go on.

Their explanations don’t get easier to understand as the days go on.

Less people don’t get killed.
More people get killed.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/18/senate-rejects-limits-trump-iran-war-00835330