By Caitlin Yilek
March 24, 2026 / 7:43 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — The Senate on Tuesday rejected a Democratic-led effort to limit President Trump’s authority to conduct military operations in Iran, as the United States and Tehran sent conflicting signals about how the conflict might end.
The resolution, introduced by Sen. Chris Murphy, failed in a near party-line vote of 47 to 53, short of the simple majority needed to advance. Every Republican except Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against it, and every Democrat except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted for it.
Democrats have filed several war powers resolutions since the fighting began Feb. 28 to block further U.S. military action in Iran without congressional approval and to force public testimony from administration officials about the conduct and justification of the campaign. Tuesday’s vote was the third time Senate Republicans have blocked such efforts since the conflict began; a separate effort last year after strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities was also unsuccessful.
“This is an extraordinary moment,” Murphy said on the Senate floor. “I don’t think we have had a moment like this, where the United States has been unquestionably at war with a foreign power, where American soldiers are dying as we speak and it is being hidden actively from the public by the Congress.” He said the administration has avoided public hearings because it “cannot defend and explain this war,” calling its consequences “stunning in their scope.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, a leader of the war powers push, argued that any action risking American lives “should be subjected to the most searing examination that we would do of anything in this body.”
The Trump administration and Republicans contend the president need not seek congressional approval, saying the Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Act permit the commander in chief to order military action in self-defense. Mr. Trump has repeatedly asserted that Iran posed an “imminent” threat to the U.S., a claim critics dispute.
Mr. Trump has said for weeks the war would end soon, but an off-ramp remains unclear. Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for possible deployment of U.S. ground forces into Iran as the administration weighs next steps.
On Monday, Mr. Trump announced that planned strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure would be postponed for five days. He has also said talks with Iran are underway; Iran denies direct discussions. A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. sent Iran a message through mediators.
Democrats in the House could pursue their own war powers resolution, though House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday was noncommittal on timing. “There are ongoing conversations about moving forward ‘sooner rather than later,’” he said, adding that when House Democrats bring a measure to the floor, “it’s our determination to win.”