WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is gearing up for its tenth attempt to pass a war powers resolution that would put the brakes on American military involvement in Iran, as lawmakers keep a close eye on President Donald Trump’s push to wrap up a conflict his administration started without congressional approval — and now needs Congress to pay for.
Tuesday’s vote is not expected to produce a dramatically different result from the nine that came before it, all of which fell short. Still, a growing number of Republican members in both chambers have begun speaking out against both the war itself and the deal Trump reached with Iran to bring the fighting to a close. Democrats are pushing Republicans to join them in challenging the administration’s actions.
“Why is this vote different?” asked Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who has spearheaded his party’s efforts on the issue.
Kaine argued that the current pause in hostilities — while Trump’s team works to solidify a fragile ceasefire — is exactly the right moment for Congress to step back and consider “what should the next chapter be.”
The vote is also happening as the Pentagon is asking Congress for roughly $80 billion, primarily to restock weapons and supplies used during the Iran conflict.
President Trump is expected to head to Capitol Hill this week to meet with Republican senators, while Vice President JD Vance has been traveling abroad to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program — one of the key reasons the administration cited for going to war in the first place.
According to one Republican senator who was granted anonymity to speak about internal discussions, Trump is not happy with GOP members who have criticized the deal he made with Iran.
The specifics of the Iran agreement are laid out in a Memorandum of Understanding that Trump signed last week, which kicks off a 60-day window for both sides to hammer out a broader deal aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program.
A major sticking point for Republicans has been a $300 billion fund included in the agreement to help Iran rebuild — a figure far larger than the $1.7 billion that then-President Barack Obama returned to Iran as part of his administration’s 2015 nuclear deal.
“I believe President Trump is getting very poor advice on Iran,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said last week on his podcast after the deal became public.
Senate Democrats have been pushing for these votes almost continuously since the United States and Israel launched missile strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Nearly every week Congress has been in session, Senate Democrats have brought forward war powers resolutions, but they have repeatedly come up short of the majority needed to pass in the closely divided chamber, where Republicans hold the majority.
Earlier this month, the House passed its own version of the resolution, with four Republicans crossing the aisle to vote alongside all Democrats — despite opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson and the broader GOP leadership.
It is that House-passed resolution the Senate will take up Tuesday. While war powers resolutions don’t go to the president for his signature and don’t carry the weight of law, a successful vote would send a strong symbolic message from Congress and serve as a rebuke of the administration’s military decisions.
In previous votes, as many as four Republican senators have supported the war powers resolutions — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. One Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has typically voted against the resolutions.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also on Capitol Hill this week, requesting approximately $80 billion in supplemental funding to replenish military stockpiles following the Iran war — a request drawing scrutiny at a time when many Americans are struggling with high gas prices and rising costs of living.
Early Pentagon estimates put the cost of the war at $11.3 billion in just its first week, while outside experts have placed the total price tag at close to $100 billion.
The Defense Department’s funding request is part of a larger military spending push the White House is pursuing this year. The Trump administration is seeking $1.5 trillion in defense funding — a 50% increase — including $350 billion it wants included in a budget reconciliation package. Johnson and GOP leaders are working to pass that package without Democratic support, similar to how they pushed through Trump’s major tax cuts bill last year.
That 2025 tax cuts package also included a significant boost of around $175 billion for the military.
