The Senate voted down a resolution Thursday to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, with Republicans holding firm against Democrats who pushed the measure ahead of November’s midterms. The vote was 49 to 50, with four Republicans crossing party lines to join Democrats in support. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote no.
The vote comes as at least 19 service members have been killed since fighting broke out in February, according to the Department of Defense. Recent reporting has suggested the Pentagon has failed to provide a complete accounting of the war both in terms of its financial cost and casualties.
Republicans defended the vote as a political move by Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., called it “political” but conceded that many members of his party want the war to end. He said the administration’s efforts could ease the pressure on American families.
The vote on Thursday
The resolution was brought to the floor by Democrats who want to force Republicans to take a public stand on the war. The vote was tight, and the four Republicans who crossed party lines made the difference.
Susan Collins of Maine, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina all voted yes. Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote no.
The resolution passed the House in July by a vote of 214 to 208. A separate war powers resolution approved by the House last week garnered 220 votes, with a record seven Republicans joining Democrats in support.
The cost of the war at the pump
The ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has fueled spikes in fuel prices. Diesel has hit daily records above $6.50 a gallon.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, wrote in a social media post: “Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran.” Her message captures the frustration among voters who see the war driving everyday costs.
Mike Rogers, the GOP nominee for Senate in Michigan, said the war needs to end “to bring costs down — but Michigan families can’t afford to wait.” That urgency is shared across both parties, even as the vote split along party lines.
Schumer’s warning ahead of the vote
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said ahead of Thursday’s vote: “Americans are getting crushed at the gas pumps, working families are getting cleaned out at grocery store counters, and family farms are going under because Trump took this country to war without authorization, without a plan, and without a second thought to the consequences.”
Schumer framed the war as a failure of leadership, arguing that the president took America to war without a plan and without approval from Congress. His warning was aimed at both Republicans and the public ahead of the vote.
Thune’s defense of the vote
Thune defended the vote as a political move by Democrats. He told reporters: “We are hopeful that the administration’s efforts will lead to getting …the shipping lanes open and taking some of the pressure off of the American peoples’ pocketbooks via a lower price at the pump for gasoline.”
His concession that many Republicans want the war to end is notable. It shows that the party’s rank and file are not unified behind the administration’s position.
The four Republicans who crossed party lines
Collins, Murkowski, Paul and Tillis all voted yes. Their decision to support the resolution despite pressure from their own party is significant.
Fetterman’s lone dissent
Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote no. His decision to cross his own party on this vote is unusual, and it raises questions about where he stands on the war.
The path forward through the House
The House has already passed two resolutions on the war. The first passed in July by a vote of 214 to 208. The second, approved last week, drew 220 votes and saw a record seven Republicans join Democrats in support.
Those votes show that support for ending the war exists in both chambers. The question is whether that support can be translated into action.
The consequences of the vote
The vote was a defeat for the resolution’s supporters. The four Republicans who voted yes will face pressure from their own party, while the Democrats who voted yes will face pressure from their base.
The war continues. The toll mounts. The cost at the pump rises.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the deal over the standoff and keeps its channels open, and so it is against the Senate’s resolution to withdraw troops, which the paper sees as a political move rather than a step toward peace. The vote was a defeat for those pushing for an end to the war, and the paper’s position is clear: stay focused at home, keep the channels open for trade, diplomacy and compromise, and avoid foreign entanglements.
The vote split along party lines, with four Republicans crossing over to support Democrats and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman voting no. The resolution was defeated 49 to 50, with Republicans holding firm against Democrats who pushed the measure ahead of November’s midterms.
Recent reporting has suggested the Pentagon has failed to provide a complete accounting of the war in terms of both its financial cost and casualties. At least 19 service members have been killed since fighting broke out in February, according to the Department of Defense. The ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has fueled spikes in fuel prices, with diesel hitting daily records above $6.50 a gallon.
Key facts
- Vote on Thursday: 49 to 50, with four Republicans voting yes
- House vote in July: 214 to 208
- House vote last week: 220 votes, with seven Republicans joining Democrats
- Casualties since February: at least 19 service members, per the Department of Defense
- Diesel price: daily records above $6.50 a gallon
Schedule of votes
| Vote | Chamber | Result |
|---|---|---|
| July | House | Passed 214 to 208 |
| Last week | House | Passed 220 |
| Thursday | Senate | Defeated 49 to 50 |
The war is not over. The fight is not over. The cost of the conflict is real, and it is rising.
Source material: “In one of their last votes before November, Senate GOP blocks effort to end Iran war,” NPR.
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