The US Senate on Wednesday voted 47-53 to reject a war powers resolution that would have forced President Donald Trump to end military operations in Iran without congressional approval.
This marks the third failed attempt to stop a conflict that has already cost taxpayers $11 billion (£8.3 billion) and sent gas prices to their highest level in more than two years.
Democrats' Third Bid to End the War Falls Short
The resolution, led by Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, would have directed the removal of US armed forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress formally declared war or passed a specific authorisation for military force. Every Democrat except Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted to advance the measure. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to break ranks and support it.
'All of us, all 100, swore an oath to the Constitution,' Booker said on the Senate floor. 'Billions of taxpayer dollars. Hundreds of American lives. What is at stake is the Constitution of the United States of America.'
The defeat follows a similar 47-53 vote on 4 March led by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, and a June 2025 effort during the earlier 12-day conflict with Iran. Democrats have vowed to keep forcing votes, with five additional war powers resolutions already introduced.
Fetterman's Growing Split With His Own Party
Fetterman's defection has become a pattern that is redrawing battle lines inside the Democratic caucus.
He has increasingly stood alone, acting as the sole Democrat to oppose recent war powers resolutions, including those targeting naval operations in the Caribbean and a critical March vote on military action in Venezuela.
Dismissing the latest Iran resolution as an 'empty gesture', Fetterman has been an outspoken proponent of Operation Epic Fury since its inception, frequently breaking with his colleagues to defend the administration's military strategy.
'Every member in the US Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,' Fetterman wrote on X. 'I'm baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that.'
Every member in the U.S. Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 2, 2026
I’m baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that.
Empty sloganeering vs. commitment to global security — which is it?
His consistent crossover votes on Iran, Israel, and Venezuela have drawn sharp criticism from progressive groups like CodePink and Indivisible, who said senators who blocked the resolution 'share ownership' of the war. Whether his foreign policy stance reflects a broader political recalibration will be tested as midterm pressure builds.
$200 Billion and Counting
Hours before the vote, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon had asked the White House to approve a supplemental budget request of more than $200 billion (£150 billion) to fund the war. That figure is more than twice the US Department of Education's entire annual budget of $79 billion (£59 billion).
Pentagon officials told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee in a classified briefing last week that the first six days of Operation Epic Fury alone cost $11.3 billion (£8.5 billion). Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on 4 March that the campaign was 'just getting started' and that the US was 'accelerating, not decelerating'.
The financial toll isn't limited to the Pentagon's budget. Gas prices have skyrocketed 86 cents per gallon since the war began on 28 February, reaching a national average of $3.84 (£2.89) according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). This represents the highest fuel costs for US drivers in over two years as the conflict disrupts global oil markets.
Diesel topped $5 (£3.76) per gallon for the first time since 2022. Economists warn that higher fuel costs are already pushing up grocery prices, with fresh produce, meat, and dairy expected to rise first as the cost of shipping perishable goods climbs.
Most Americans Don't Want This War
Public opinion data offers little comfort for the administration. A CBS News/YouGov poll found that most Americans believe the Trump administration hasn't clearly explained the war's goals, and roughly two-thirds said the president should seek congressional approval for further military action. A Quinnipiac University poll found 53% of registered voters oppose the military action, with 74% against sending ground troops.
Booker pointed to the war's wider costs for ordinary Americans. 'Here at home we are seeing the skyrocketing costs of basic goods, the skyrocketing costs of energy, and the skyrocketing costs we're seeing at the pumps at our gas stations,' he said.
Democrats say they plan to use the upcoming defense spending bill and an anticipated supplemental request, which some estimates suggest could eventually top $200 billion (£150 billion), as leverage to demand public testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth.
'We are going to keep forcing them again and again,' Kaine said, referring to the repeated war powers votes intended to compel the administration to defend its strategy in an open session.
In a couple of days, the war will enter its fourth week with no congressional authorisation, no clear endgame, and a price tag that grows by the day. For American families already stretched by inflation, the cost of inaction in the Senate is showing up at the pump and at the checkout counter.
.jpg?w=600)
