Democrats were unable to peel off any new Republicans on Wednesday after forcing the Senate to take a failed vote on President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.
Just one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), voted to move ahead with a resolution, offered by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), that would constrain the military campaign Trump launched in coordination with Israel a little more than two weeks ago.
The vote tally of 47-53 is virtually unchanged from the one taken in early March, days after Trump began a campaign of air strikes meant to degrade Iran’s military and foment possible regime change. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democratic “no” vote.
Democrats have threatened to force as many as half a dozen votes on the conflict until the Trump administration agrees to hold a hearing on the war. But Republicans have largely rebuffed that request, arguing that lawmakers have been sufficiently kept in the loop through a series of classified briefings.
Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard and Dan Ratcliffe, the head of the CIA, delivered testimony on the conflict Wednesday, grappling with the question of whether Iran posed an “imminent” danger to the United States in a prescheduled hearing on worldwide threats.
But Democrats want a dedicated hearing on Iran and have asked War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to brief them publicly.
Republicans have long supported the aggressive posture Trump has taken toward Iran and stood with him last year when he launched targeted strikes on its heavily fortified nuclear facilities.
The administration has come under increasing pressure, however, as Iran blocks oil tankers from traversing the Strait of Hormuz, a tactic that has sent the price of gasoline skyrocketing ahead of the midterm elections.
Democrats have pointed to that increase to argue that Republicans don’t care about the cost of living and claim that Trump is needlessly risking the lives of U.S. service members, 13 of whom have died in the Middle East since the conflict began.
GOP FISCAL HAWKS OPEN TO NEW IRAN WAR FUNDING WITHOUT SPENDING OFFSETS
The White House maintains that the war will be relatively short and worth the cost, arguing that Iran and its proxies posed a threat to U.S. national security.
Wednesday’s vote comes as the White House weighs whether to ask Congress for money to fund its war effort, which has cost the U.S. at least $12 billion, according to Trump adviser Kevin Hassett.
