Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) War Powers Resolution for Iran is likely to fail when senators consider the measure on Friday night as Republicans look to avoid a fight with President Donald Trump.
Kaine is pushing to ensure the War Powers Act is enforced so that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or an authorization of military force. But most Republican senators are closing ranks behind the White House and aren’t eager to aid Kaine’s effort.
Following a classified briefing on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the meeting revealed the need for Democrats to back Kaine’s resolution.
But at least one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) — will vote no. Fetterman is one of the chamber’s foremost Israel supporters.
“I want to make sure that I reserve the right for the president, Democrat or Republican, to do the kinds of things, just like President Obama had done in the past, or the one that I supported with what Trump did with Iran,” Fetterman said.
If every other Democrat in the chamber votes for Kaine’s bill, at least five GOP votes would be necessary for passage. Seven Republicans currently serving in the Senate voted for a similar Iran resolution back in 2020.
One of the seven, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), said on Thursday he’d vote against the resolution.
Many others in the group are being tight-lipped in the lead-up to the vote.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who was deeply critical of Trump’s decision to strike Iran, wouldn’t tip his hand on how he would vote on the Kaine resolution. But Paul teased he would be making a floor speech on the subject on Friday. Paul said earlier this week that Trump should have come to Congress before striking Iran’s nuclear sites.
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who also backed the 2020 resolution, hasn’t said whether he’ll vote for it.
