(June 9, 2026)
However, legal experts said the issue is not settled law. No concurrent resolution under the 1973 war powers law had passed since the law was enacted.
„The executive branch will likely ignore it on constitutional grounds, and it’s not clear who might have standing to sue to enforce it,“ said Scott Anderson, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and senior editor of the online legal publication Lawfare, although he added that he expected someone would.
MILWAUKEE — The 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted last week 454-15 to adopt RIW-04, declaring that the government of Israel has violated the international law prohibiting genocide in its war in Gaza. The Reformed Identity Around the World (RIW) Committee approved the overture with amendments, 55-4, before it reached the floor of the assembly.
Two Senate Republicans who supported a previous resolution calling for an end to the US war on Iran changed their votes late Wednesday after President Donald Trump publicly and privately berated GOP lawmakers, calling them “losers” who provided “aid and comfort to the enemy.”
In Wednesday’s procedural vote, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)—who reportedly got into a shouting match with Trump over the Iran war during a closed-door lunch hours earlier—sided with virtually every other Republican in opposing the war powers resolution, just a day after he supported a separate, symbolic resolution calling for the removal of US forces from the conflict. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also switched, changing his vote to “present” at the urging of the president.
Updated on: June 24, 2026 / 11:37 PM EDT / CBS News
Later in the day, however, signs emerged that some of the Senate Republicans who had previously voted to constrain Mr. Trump‘s war powers were reconsidering.
Cassidy was briefed on Iran at the White House by Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, the senator confirmed on X, writing that the conversation „address[ed] many of my concerns.“ Cassidy voted against advancing the resolution Wednesday night.
And Paul voted present on Wednesday, despite voting in favor of the last several Iran war powers resolutions. He said on X his goal was to „give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.“
Updated on: June 25, 2026 / 12:07 AM EDT / CBS News
President Trump‘s meeting with Republican senators on Wednesday turned testy, and at one point, he sternly told Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy to sit down, after questions arose about the War Powers Resolution, according to sources directly familiar with the meeting.
Jun 24, 2026 11:30 AM CET)
Trump claims that his war on Iran doesn’t need congressional approval because a cease-fire that took effect on April 8 effectively ended it. His Administration also argues that the 1973 law is “unconstitutional” and that the Administration only complies with parts of it to maintain good relations with the legislative branch.
Others, however, argue that Congress’ authority over declarations of war allows for the method. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D, N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who sponsored the House war powers resolution, said in a statement that he will make sure that the Administration adheres to it: “Regardless of what President Trump says, this measure is binding under the War Powers Resolution, and I will explore all legal avenues to ensure the Executive complies with the will of Congress.”
Washington, DC — Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued a statement following the Senate’s approval of his War Powers Resolution which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month. The Senate passed the Resolution 50-48.
Having passed both chambers as a Concurrent Resolution, this measure does not go to the president’s desk for signature. Under the War Powers Resolution, however, it is binding on the president and directs him to cease hostilities against Iran.
“With the Senate passage of my Iran War Powers Resolution, both chambers have now made clear that the president cannot continue this war of choice and must cease all hostilities against Iran. Regardless of what President Trump says, this measure is binding under the War Powers Resolution, and I will explore all legal avenues to ensure the Executive complies with the will of Congress.
GOP Sens. Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy joined Democrats in voting for the resolution, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted against it. The final tally was 50-48. The absences of GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick, who have previously voted against advancing war powers resolutions, contributed to the measure’s adoption.
If the Senate were to secure those 60 votes and pass the war powers resolution, the chambers would have to work out differences in the text of the bill between the two chambers, which might require additional votes.
If both chambers pass identical versions of a war powers resolution, the measure would still require the president‘s signature to take effect — something that seems unlikely based on Trump‘s commitment to the war so far.
If Trump vetoes it, the House and Senate could override the veto only with two-thirds votes in each chamber, which is well above the support demonstrated so far. No war powers resolution has ever overcome a veto.
In an awkward rivalry among EU partners, Portugal took 134 votes and Austria 131 while Germany garnered just 104, significantly below the required 127 votes despite Berlin’s expressed confidence just hours before that it would prevail.
Both winners were seen to represent the interests of smaller countries, while Austria could benefit from its perceived neutrality as a non-Nato member and Portugal touted its strong ties in Africa and Latin America.
Wadephul’s bid won 104 votes in the UN General Assembly, falling 23 short of the two-thirds majority required for election.
This is the first time Germany has failed to win a rotating seat on the Security Council after decades of successfully securing one of the Western European seats every eight years.
„Für uns alle ist das eine wirkliche Enttäuschung. Das muss man sagen. Daran will ich nicht vorbeireden“, sagt Wadephul später im Interview mit den ARD-Tagesthemen. In der deutschen Delegation herrscht Katerstimmung. Bis zuletzt war man zuversichtlich, dass die vielen Last-Minute-Gespräche, die Wadephul seit Freitag in New York geführt hatte, ausreichen würden. Die Liste der vermeintlichen Unterstützer-Staaten schien lang genug zu sein.
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday elected Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for two-year terms starting on January 1, 2027.
Germany, which had lobbied hard for a seat, came third for the two places contested by the Western European and Others Group, with 104 votes, against 134 for Portugal and 131 for Austria.
(…)
Wednesday‘s action defied President Donald Trump as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to end the three-month-long war. House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to prevent an outcome that would show the mounting opposition to the war.
Raucous applause erupted in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after US lawmakers passed a war powers resolution aimed at ending Donald Trump’s illegal war of choice against Iran—although skeptics cautioned that the measure will likely have little impact on the actions of a president who has habitually shown utter contempt for the rule of law.
House lawmakers voted 215-208, with 7 legislators not voting, in favor of H.Con.Res.86, introduced in April by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and cosponsored by Reps. James Himes (D-Conn.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
he House for the first time Wednesday approved a war powers resolution that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran, defying President Donald Trump as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to end the three-month-long conflict that has reordered politics at home and abroad.
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(May 21, 2026)
„Let’s be clear: Republicans pulled this vote because they knew they were going to lose it. They know this war is a political and strategic disaster. They know that as Americans head into Memorial Day weekend paying over 4.50 a gallon at the pump, they cannot go home and explain they voted to keep this war going. So instead of casting that vote, they ran from it.
„This is not over. When the House returns, Republicans will have no choice but to take this vote. Democrats will not stop fighting until Congress reasserts its constitutional authority and this war is brought to an end.“
(May 21, 2026)
House Republican leaders yanked a planned vote to restrict President Trump’s ability to conduct military strikes against Iran, after it became clear that the resolution, forced to the floor by Democrats, would likely pass.
“You don’t have the votes!” Democrats shouted in a heated moment on the House floor, when Republicans moved to delay the vote until after lawmakers return from a weeklong Memorial Day recess.
The Senate on Tuesday agreed to take up a measure that would force President Trump to end the war in Iran or win authorization from Congress to continue it, after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in pushing forward with a resolution the G.O.P. has managed to block for months.
Though Golden, who is not seeking reelection this year, was an original cosponsor of the resolution (H.Con.Res.75) offered by fellow Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) back in March, he became the deciding vote in the 212-212 tie when it finally hit the floor—even as two Republicans broke with their party for the first time to support such a measure.
As The Washington Post notes, the resolution was “proposed early in the war by a faction of pro-Israel Democrats—Golden among them—as a compromise intended to win some Republican backing.” While it did win three Republican votes in the end, it was Golden who helped sink it.
The House on Thursday narrowly defeated a War Powers Resolution that would have directed President Trump to end the US war against Iran, as the US continues to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports and is considering restarting the full-scale bombing campaign.
The bill failed in a tie vote of 212-212, with three Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (KY), Tom Barret (MI), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) — voting in favor of ending the war. Just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (ME), voted no.
If Republicans vote against our resolution, they will continue to bear the blame for Trump’s war
(April 22, 2026)
The proposal for “holding a referendum on the continuation of Spain’s NATO membership” was voted down by the ruling coalition’s main partner, the Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), as well as opposition parties including the Popular Party (PP), far-right Vox, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), and Junts for Catalonia.
The junior coalition partner Sumar abstained, while only the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and the Basque alliance Bildu supported the initiative alongside Podemos.
Zwar fällt die Rhetorik von Spaniens Premier Pedro Sánchez tatsächlich recht scharf aus. Sein »Nein zum Krieg« ließ ihn hierzulande als jemanden mit »Cojones«, also Mut, erscheinen. Doch im Grunde geht es dem spanischen Sozialdemokraten bloß darum, seine Wähler zu beeindrucken. Dass er es nicht allzu ernst meint, stellte seine Partei am Mittwoch klar. An diesem Tag stimmte das spanische Parlament auf Vorschlag von Podemos über ein mögliches Referendum zum Austritt aus der NATO ab. Die Partei von Sánchez stimmte geschlossen dagegen und demonstrierte einmal mehr ihre transatlantische Verlässlichkeit: Wir liefern weiter.
(April 16, 2026)
(April 17, 2026)
In total, 40 senators supported the resolution late Wednesday. The seven Democrat Senators who voted against the measure were Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Chris Coons of Delaware, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
(April 16, 2026)
Sanders’ resolutions to stop bulldozer, bomb deliveries gain unprecedented Democratic support, demonstrating major shift in party’s approach toward Israel over wars in Gaza, Lebanon
In a statement, the Marine Corps veteran said the U.S. and Iran are currently negotiating „over critical questions of national security and international order“ during a tenuous ceasefire.
„I believe we must maintain a strong negotiation position over Iran’s nuclear program, freedom of movement in the international waters at the Strait of Hormuz, and how to achieve a durable peace between our two nations,“ said Golden, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. „At this moment, a resolution like this would weaken our hand.“
The bill failed in a vote of 213-214, with just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (ME), joining Republicans to kill the legislation. Only one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), voted in favor, while Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who supported a previous War Powers Resolution, voted “present.” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who previously suggested she might support the bill, didn’t vote.
The measure failed 47-52, with Sen. Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, joining Democrats in voting for the resolution and Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, opposing it. Sen. Jim Justice, Republican of West Virginia, did not vote. Aside from Justice’s abstention, the vote was identical to the previous war powers vote in the Senate on March 24, despite some Republican lawmakers growing increasingly vocal with their concerns about the war and the timeline to end it.
Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders said Monday he will force a vote this week on legislation to block the sale of nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of bombs and bulldozers to the Israeli military. Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will compel a vote on an Iran war powers resolution, now that the House is back in session.
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07 Apr 2026
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02:51:06
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Original
A spokesperson for Democrats on the committee told Common Dreams on Wednesday that Meeks was very much committed to passing a bill to “hold President Trump accountable for his reckless war of choice,” but that one could not be pursued until April 13, after the recess, because some of the necessary “yes” votes had left Washington.
Drop Site News co-founder Ryan Grim described this as a “pathetic” excuse. “As Trump threatens a ground invasion, Democratic members of Congress are saying they won’t do the one thing they are elected to do: Show up and vote,” he wrote on social media.
(March 25, 2026)
WASHINGTON — The Senate defeated legislation Tuesday that would have blocked President Donald Trump from continuing to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization, the third unsuccessful attempt to limit his military power since the conflict began.
Democrats in the House are preparing to force a vote on another War Powers Resolution as early as next Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that, this time, he is optimistic the effort to cease American hostilities in Iran will win the votes of the Democratic holdouts on the Massie-Khanna effort earlier this month.
Jeffries was referring to Democrats who voted against the WPR introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY), which failed 212-219 in a March 5 vote on the House floor, favoring instead a proposal by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).