Republicans will now race to replace Graham on the November ballot in a special primary election in mid-August, according to state law.
In an interview with NBCâs âMeet the Pressâ on Sunday morning, President Donald Trump said he was already considering who he might back in the race.
The longtime politician had served as a US senator for South Carolina since 2003
(Updated on October 1, 2024)
– Congress works less than half the year, with the House averaging 147 legislative days annually.
– Senate members have slightly more legislative days, averaging 165 days each year since 2001.
(June 9, 2026)
However, legal experts said the issue is not settled law. No concurrent resolution under âthe 1973 war powers law had passed since the law was enacted.
„The executive branch will likely ignore it on constitutional grounds, and itâs not clear who might have âstanding 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 âwould.
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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 âlosersâ who provided âaid and comfort to the enemy.â
In Wednesdayâs procedural vote, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)âwho reportedly got into a shouting match with Trump over the Iran war during a closed-door lunch hours earlierâsided 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 âpresentâ 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 doesnât 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 âunconstitutionalâ and that the Administration only complies with parts of it to maintain good relations with the legislative branch.
Others, however, argue that Congressâ 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: âRegardless 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.â
Washington, DC — Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued a statement following the Senateâs 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 presidentâs desk for signature. Under the War Powers Resolution, however, it is binding on the president and directs him to cease hostilities against Iran.
âWith 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 measureâs adoption.
(june 19, 2026)
Not long ago, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was demonized by leaders of both political parties. On Thursday night, the 34-year-old democratic socialist was celebrated as a political force, the face of the regionâs sports renaissance, even the leader of âMamdanistan.â
In a rally with Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that drew thousands to a Brooklyn theater, the emboldened mayor delivered a fiery message to Democratic leaders in Washington â and even those considering 2028 presidential bids â as he worked to elevate a slate of likeminded candidates in Tuesdayâs New York primaries.
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 â 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.
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When Congress returns to work in June, both the House and Senate are expected to vote on resolutions that would force Trump to stop military strikes against Iran, whatâs known as a âwar powersâ resolution.
House GOP leaders postponed a vote on that before Memorial Day â worried that Republicans would lose that vote for a first time.
(May 29, 2026)
WASHINGTON, D.C. â Today, Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.) led members of the New Jersey Democratic Congressional delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General (Acting AG) Todd Blanche demanding immediate action to end ICE brutality and inhumane detention at Delaney Hall in Newark.
The letter comes after Senator Kim and members of the New Jersey congressional delegation conducted oversight visits of Delaney Hall over the past week, witnessing the inhumane treatment of detainees inside the for-profit facility, run by the private company GEO Group, and the use of escalatory tactics by ICE agents on the ground. Their visits followed reports of ICE retaliating against those detained inside the facility and hundreds beginning a hunger and labor strike in protest of the inhumane conditions.
(May 26, 2026)
After her visit, Sherrill said in a statement that her request to access the facility was formally denied earlier in the day âraising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view.â She added that she visited the site to hear from advocates and the families of those detained.
âWhat I heard from them was heartbreaking,â she said in the statement. âI will continue to hold ICE accountable, and I remain grateful for the work of our federal delegation.â
The governor expressed concerns about Delaney Hall in a previous statement issued Sunday, calling reports of âunsafe, inhumane, and unconstitutional living conditionsâŠcompletely unacceptable.â
James is an eighth-generation Texan, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian. As a state representative, heâs led the fight against the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians who have taken over Texas.
Now, heâs running for U.S. Senate to take his fight against corruption to Washington and win power back for working people.
âI said what I said.â
That was Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer Paulina Mangubatâs statement Thursday evening after her response to White House adviser Stephen Millerâs smear against Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico of Texas went viral earlier this week.
After Miller posted a picture on Wednesday of Talarico with the comment that Democrats in Texas had nominated âtheir first transgender Senate candidate,â Mangubat, who serves as the DNCâs content and creative director and is behind many of the committeeâs social media posts, had a concise response.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to testify before Senate and House committees on 2 June as the conflict with Iran remains a major concern for lawmakers.
Although the hearings are officially focused on the State Department budget, members of Congress are expected to question Rubio on a range of issues connected to the war.
(May 18, 2026)
Democratic lawmakers are on the verge of passing a resolution to end President Trumpâs war with Iran â with some help from a steadily growing group of Republicans.
In the House and Senate, resolutions under the 1973 War Powers Act this past week saw more members of Trumpâs party crossing the aisle to vote in favor of the so-far failed measures, with others voicing their support for a future resolution.
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.
(April 12, 2026)
Mr. Trump had long downplayed a sharp spike in gas prices driven by the war in Iran by casting it as a âshort-term increaseâ that would subside within weeks. But on Sunday, Mr. Trump told Fox News that while he hoped gas and oil costs would drop before the midterms, prices âshould be around the sameâ in November â and might be âa little bit higher.â
(May 11, 2026)
Members of Congress must now decide whether they will honor their oaths to uphold the Constitution, or hand all power without accountability to the executive branch, effectively sanctioning an imperial presidency. The stakes are as high as ever, and not only limited to the current war with Iran, but also the future of democratic governance in the United States.
If Republicans vote against our resolution, they will continue to bear the blame for Trumpâs war
(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)
Sandersâ resolutions to stop bulldozer, bomb deliveries gain unprecedented Democratic support, demonstrating major shift in partyâs approach toward Israel over wars in Gaza, Lebanon
As the Minnesota Democratic primary to succeed the retiring Sen. Tina Smith in the United States Senate heats up, Rep. Angie Craig is privately distancing herself from AIPAC. While courting the crucial endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, Craigâs campaign staffers have told DFL delegates that the pro-Israel lobby is not funding her candidacy, according to messages obtained by Drop Site News. AIPAC has held at least a dozen fundraisers for Craig, however, over the course of the past year.
Craigâs behind-the-scenes communications are an indication of AIPACâs growing toxicity in primary races as it advocates blanket U.S. support for a state committing an unpopular and brutal genocide in Gaza. In two recent races, AIPACâs millions in support, once firmly understood as a moniker of credibility with the DC political class and financial protection from grassroots-funded challengers, has proven it can do more harm than good.
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 Justiceâs 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 dollarsâ 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.
Nearly 100 protesters were arrested during a demonstration Monday, Sept. 13, calling on Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to block the sale of thousands of U.S. bombs to Israel.
Led by the antiwar group Jewish Voice for Peace, the crowd of hundreds initially attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Manhattan offices of the two Democratic lawmakers they accused of abetting Israelâs intensifying attacks in Lebanon and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Apr 07, 2026 at 02:40 PM EDT
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List of Lawmakers Calling for 25th Amendment
âDonald Trump is openly threatening war crimes against the entirety of Iranian civilization. 25th Amendment proceedings must begin immediately, but if the Cabinet is too cowardly, the House should begin the impeachment process now,â Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) posted on social platform X, referencing Trumpâs Tuesday morning post.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called on the House to begin impeachment proceedings over the post, calling it âcompletely unstable and perilous.â
âThe House must bring up impeachment articles, and the Senate needs to remove a president who wants to commit war crimes. We cannot sit idly by as Donald Trump threatens to end an entire civilization,â Markey said in a post online.
On Tuesday, gasoline prices in the U.S. topped $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022, according to AAA. Several officials concede there will be Republican losses in the midterms if they don‘t turn around the trending numbers.
A Republican source says the House will be difficult for the GOP, but Republicans expect to retain control of the Senate.
Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, leads Republican Michael Whatley in the stateâs U.S. Senate race, according to a new poll.
Democrats are eyeing a narrow path to reclaiming control of the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority. The North Carolina contest follows Republican Senator Thom TillisââŻdecision not to seek reelection, opening up a seat in a state that has leaned Republican in recent federal elections but remains closely divided.
The agreement would fund other DHS components, such as the Transportation Security Administration and US Coast Guard, but the House will still need to act before funded agencies within the department can reopen.
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However, asked whether he believes the House will adopt the same measure to fund most of the department, Thune said, âI donât know what the House will do.â