In a largely bipartisan vote Wednesday evening, the Senate rejected a measure that aimed to constrain President Trump in his efforts with Operation Epic Fury to neuter the persistent, decades-long threat of Iran.
Although the 53-to-47 vote was largely along party lines, two senators notably crossed the aisle to vote with the other side: John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rand Paul (R-KY). Fetterman has repeatedly indicated that he thought taking action against Iran would make America safer, while Paul actually introduced the resolution in January along with Democrat Tim Kaine of Virginia.
The resolution demanded that the administration remove “the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”
If it somehow did pass the House and Senate, Trump would have vetoed it before the ink was dry, so the entire affair was mostly symbolic.
If you remember Kaine, though, he was Tim Walz before we knew there was a Tim Walz, and ran as Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential pick in her failed 2016 presidential bid.
🚨 BREAKING: The Democrats’ War Powers Resolution, which was introduced to force President Trump to END Operation Epic Fury, is on track to FAIL in the US Senate
Current vote is 47-52.
The operation continues. pic.twitter.com/rhHng08kZY
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 4, 2026
The issue has caused heated responses from Democrats who believe the constitutionally dubious War Powers Act of 1973 gives them power over the president’s decisions and limits his ability to send forces into hostilities without the approval of Congress.
Former President Richard Nixon tried to veto the act at the time, but Congress overrode him.
MORE: Fetterman Calls Out Reporters After Iran Strike: ‘One of the Most Evil People Was Erased’
Trump Officially Notifies Congress on Iran Strikes As Dems Double Down on War Powers Complaints
Many Republicans, meanwhile, argued that action against the Islamic Republic was long overdue, considering the regime has been hostile to the U.S. since its inception in 1979, terrorizes and massacres its own citizens, is the number one state sponsor of terrorism on the planet — and was close to getting a nuclear weapon, intelligence analyses suggested.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, on Wednesday said that he grieved “the six American servicemen and women who’ve died in the fighting” and added that he was also mourning “the thousands of Americans that have died over the last 47 years at hands of the brutal Islamists.”
The president understands “the weight of war,” Mr. Wicker added, lauding his decision to begin strikes as “profound, deliberate and correct.”
President Trump’s decision to attack Iran was profound, deliberate, and correct. pic.twitter.com/s8xL6ZiRWP
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) March 4, 2026
However, even some of those who voted against the resolution said their minds could change if the president decided to put boots on the ground. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said, “I’ve always drawn a line at ground troops,” adding that if the president tried to deploy them, it would “require some sort of authorization.”
The congressional fights will continue, with the House scheduled to vote on a similar measure Thursday. In the meantime, it’s a big victory for Donald Trump — and presumably the oppressed peoples of the Islamic Republic — and ensures that Operation Epic Fury is not halted right in the middle of the mission.
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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