Republican resistance to Iran war grows in the Senate as Murkowski flips

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the ranking member, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, prepare to hear from U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on his 2027 budget request, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) 2026-05-13T17:30:56Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans on Wednesday again blocked Democratic legislation that would halt President Donald Trump’s Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="42010" data-entity-type="event">War with Iran, but the number of GOP senators voting against the war grew. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the war for the first time since it began at the end of February. Two other Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, also voted against the war, as they had done previously. The war powers legislation ultimately failed to advance 49-50, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat to oppose it, yet the close tally reflected growing unease with Trump’s war. Several other Republican senators have signaled they want Congress to weigh in on the direction of the conflict. “There will be a day — and it might be soon, I believe — where this Senate will say to the president, ‘Stop this war,’” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who has spearheaded his party’s tactic of forcing repeated votes on the war, said before the vote. Even if it passes the Senate, a war powers resolution would have a slim chance of passing the House and would also certainly be vetoed by Trump. But Democrats say the votes are about building political pressure on the president either to withdraw from the conflict or seek congressional authorization to wage the war. Trump officials downplay role for Congress The White House, meanwhile, has asserted that it does not need congressional authorization for the war and has circumvented legal requirements to gain approval from Congress to continue the military campaign. It claims that it has “terminated” hostilities with Iran because the U.S. has entered a ceasefire. That posture has created tension between the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House because presidents under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 are required to obtain authorization from Congress after 60 days of engaging in a conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week that the U.S. could start attacking Iran again without the White House seeking congressional approval. He told Murkowski during a hearing on Tuesday that the Trump administration believes it has “all the authorities necessary.” Murkowski voiced skepticism about that argument. She pointed to the troops and war ships deployed to the region, saying, “It doesn’t appear that hostilities have ended.” (