President Donald Trump scored a major victory in the Senate late Wednesday after a pair of key Republican holdouts reversed course and helped sink a Democratic effort to curb his authority to act against Iran.
Before leaving Washington for a more than two-week recess, the Senate rejected a war powers resolution pushed by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that sought to limit Trump’s military authority as the administration continues negotiations with Iran on a long-term peace agreement.
The measure was the same resolution that unexpectedly cleared the Senate just a day earlier after two Republican senators were absent, dealing an embarrassing setback to the White House.
Just hours earlier, the outcome appeared all but settled after Trump clashed behind closed doors with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., over Iran and the administration’s communication with lawmakers during a meeting focused on the president’s signature voter ID and citizenship verification legislation.
Trump later argued to Senate Republicans that the earlier vote weakened the administration’s leverage with Iran as negotiations continue.
The White House then held meetings with key Republican skeptics, ultimately persuading Cassidy and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to change course. Paul, who has frequently sided with Democrats on previous war powers votes, instead voted “present,” giving the administration enough breathing room to claim a significant win as it works toward a broader agreement beyond the current 60-day memorandum of understanding with Iran.
“I want to thank Vice President [JD] Vance and Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran,” Cassidy said on X. “I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”
Paul said his underlying position had not changed.
“My opinion on the debate over war and executive power has not changed and I have voted that way several times,” Paul wrote on X.
“But since hostilities seem to be over and the President asked me to give consideration to his negotiating position, I will do so,” Paul said on X. “My vote of present is a way to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., one of the leading Democratic voices behind recent war powers efforts, conceded that “this is a different moment,” though he warned the ceasefire remained “precarious right now.”
Asked whether Trump’s argument that the earlier Senate vote weakened U.S. negotiating leverage held any weight, Murphy dismissed the claim.
“The Iranians don’t — you know, all they have to do is read a poll and find out that people in this country don’t support the war. They didn’t support the war.”
The vote also marked an important political victory for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., whose leadership team spent weeks working to unify Republicans after several high-profile disputes over Trump’s foreign policy decisions.
As voting wrapped up Wednesday night, Thune and Barrasso joined Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, in the majority leader’s office to call Trump and deliver the news.
“Wow! The Senate just changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy changed. Thank you to Leader John Thune, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Moreno, and all. This vote puts Iran on notice!”
The Senate victory also comes as speculation has swirled over the relationship between Trump and Thune, with the president publicly increasing pressure on Senate Republicans to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.
Moreno brushed aside any suggestion that Thune’s standing within the conference had weakened.
“There’s not a single solitary Senator running for office that says leader Thune should be replaced, not one, even non-incumbents,” Moreno said.
“What today showed is that President Trump has a kind of relationship with John Thune where he says, ‘Hey, let me talk to the guys,’ understand the situation,” Moreno said. “As much as Cassidy and Trump got into it, it was because they’re both passionate, they’re both smart people.”
“And now, we’ve most importantly sent the Iranians a message that President Trump has the full backing of the Congress, and that was an incredibly important day,” he continued. “That’s a huge victory for us.”
