Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a veteran of Iraq who lost a leg, called on Republicans to “finally end this illegal war.”
President Trump says the U.S. “may visit Cuba” after the Iran war ends
President Donald Trump said the United States “may stop in Cuba after we finish” the Iran war.
WASHINGTON – For the first time since President Donald Trump threatened to kill “an entire civilization” of Iran, Senate Republicans on April 15 once again blocked a measure to halt American hostilities in the war.
A resolution reaffirming Congress’ war powers failed to advance on a largely party-line vote of 47-52. Most Republicans, except Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill. Most Democrats supported it, except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
West Virginia Republican Sen. Jim Justice did not vote. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and a veteran of Iraq who lost a leg.
In an emotional appeal on the floor of the Legislature, Duckworth said Trump administration officials have failed to adequately explain the president’s rationale behind entering the conflict.
“They need to have enough respect for the American people to finally tell them why they are being made to bear the cost of this conflict, both in dollars and cents,” she said.
Although the War Powers Resolution was widely expected to fail, it marked the beginning of a new phase in Democrats’ congressional pressure campaign to withdraw U.S. troops from wars in the Middle East. They vowed to continue introducing similar resolutions in the coming weeks.
These votes are likely to be even more difficult for Senate Republicans, some of whom have indicated they do not support continuing military operations in the region beyond a certain date without a formal declaration of war or Congressional authorization to use military force. The War Powers Act requires the president to get the go-ahead from Congress after 60 days of war, with an additional 30-day grace period.
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said in an April 1 opinion piece that he “does not support ongoing military action beyond 60 days without Congressional approval.” “I take this position for two reasons: one is historical and the other is constitutional.”
The deadline is the end of April.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him at @ZachSchermele on X and @zachschermele.bsky.social on Bluesky..
