Trump slams Congress over Iran War Powers Vote as tensions rise in Washington
Narrow Senate resolution exposes deep political rift over presidential war powers, Iran negotiations, and America’s constitutional limits on military authority.
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U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Congress on Tuesday after it passed a largely symbolic resolution calling for an end to the war with Iran, describing it as “bad timing” and “meaningless.”
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “So, I have Iran on the “ropes,” ready to go down for the fall... and the U.S. Senate decides to have a poorly timed and meaningless War Powers Act Vote.” He added: “These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other, because I always get it done!”
The resolution passed the Congress with a narrow 50–48 majority. Due to congressional rules, the Republican president will not even need to use a veto against it.
The vote is seen as a setback for the Republican president amid ongoing negotiations with Iran, despite his party holding a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. During earlier House discussions this month, Trump also condemned what he called an “unpatriotic” vote by the Democratic opposition and four Republican representatives who joined them. He said Democrats “prefer our country to fail than to give me another victory, among the many victories” he believes he has achieved.
For weeks, the opposition has sought to limit the president’s military powers in the conflict with Iran, arguing that he has bypassed executive authority over the legislative branch.
According to the U.S. Constitution, the power to declare war rests solely with Congress. While the law allows the president to launch combat operations in response to an imminent threat, it requires congressional approval within 60 days. However, Trump exceeded this deadline at the beginning of May, arguing that the conflict, which began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes, had ended with a ceasefire.
Democrats dispute this justification and point to ongoing U.S. military engagement, despite the lifting of the embargo imposed by American warships on Iranian ports under a memorandum of understanding signed last week.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote: “Americans have paid the price for Trump’s historic mistake in Iran.”
He added: 'Trump should never have started this war.'