WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) – The US Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that requires President Donald Trump to suspend American military actions against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly dissatisfied Congress.
The Senate voted 50 to 48 in favor of the war powers resolution, which had been approved by the House of Representatives this month, reflecting growing concern, even among some of Trump’s Republican supporters, about the unpopular conflict that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran.
It was the first time that both houses of Congress passed a resolution directing a president to withdraw the United States Armed Forces from hostilities since the War Powers Resolution, more commonly known as the War Powers Act, was enacted in 1973.
Although it will likely remain largely symbolic, the vote represented a setback for Trump, who until recently enjoyed near-unanimous support from Republican members of Congress.
This also comes at a time when the government is expected to ask Congress to authorize tens of billions of dollars to finance the war.
Republicans hold narrow majorities in both the Senate and House, but some have distanced themselves from the president on some issues ahead of November’s midterm elections, which will determine whether the party retains control of Congress.
Recently, some Republicans opposed Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘combating political instrumentalization’ fund, intended to compensate political allies who he said were targeted by federal authorities, and stalled a $70 billion bill to finance his immigration offensive.
Reuters/Ipsos poll results released on Tuesday showed that just one in four Americans believe the war against Iran was worth it, and most fear that a truce with Tehran is unlikely to last.
The Senate vote largely followed party lines, with four Republicans joining all but one Democrat in favor of the measure. Two Republican senators did not vote.
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In a post on Tuesday night, Trump criticized the vote, calling it ‘untimely and meaningless’, and accused those who voted in favor of giving ‘comfort’ to Iran and making its job ‘more difficult’.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Trevor Hunnicutt and Kanishka Singh)
