The new Republican rebellion falls short: Four senators switch sides but fail to stop Trump's war in Iran

The Senate once again blocked the latest Democratic effort to force President Donald Trump to seek authorization from Congress to fund the war in Iran, in a close vote that kept most Republicans aligned with the White House despite skepticism surrounding a ceasefire, the details of which the president has not yet shared with Congress.

The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, was defeated by a vote of 48 to 47. This was the ninth attempt by the Democratic caucus to force action on the measure, which sought to order the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the conflict and make any continuation of hostilities contingent on congressional approval, an effort that has begun to create tensions within the GOP.

As on previous occasions, four Republican senators crossed party lines to support debate on the resolution: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the same senators who last month allowed a similar measure to advance. Their support, however, was not enough to pass the measure. On the other side of the aisle stood Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the only member of his caucus to oppose it again, as he has done with each of the previous resolutions.

Despite the pressure from the vote, the Democrats chose not to bring a sister resolution, which had passed with those same four Republican votes, to the floor, a sign that even they do not trust they can muster the necessary votes within the GOP to pass it definitively.

"I am hopeful that this war may come to an end beginning this week, but let's be clear: This temporary truce agreement with Iran brings us back to the status quo, at best," Warnock warned before the vote. "We've learned, due in part to recent history, that it's easier to get into a war than it is to get out."

For now, leading Republicans in the Senate have refrained from celebrating the agreement announced by Trump and his team, saying they do not yet know its details. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota offered cautious support on Tuesday, stating that he hopes the details will be released soon: “I fully believe that the president and his team are moving in the right direction.”

Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, went further and harshly criticized the Democrats, arguing that holding such a vote while Trump is abroad negotiating a diplomatic solution would only provide “tremendous aid and comfort to our enemy.” The president is attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit this week in France.

Risch also questioned the substance of the resolution, which orders the withdrawal of U.S. forces from hostilities "within or against" Iran that Congress has not authorized. In his view, the troops "are not engaged in hostilities within or against Iran. They have been, but it's been over for some time." This stance aligns with the administration's position, which considers the conflict over since the ceasefire declared in April, even though thousands of troops remain deployed in the region and attacks have flared up intermittently.

The vote is part of a series of rifts within the Republican Party in Congress, just a few months before the midterm elections. In early June, the House of Representatives had already passed a resolution to limit Trump’s war powers against Iran, with four Republicans joining the Democrats.