Senate Republicans reject war powers resolution after Trump berates them at Capitol meeting

By — Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press By — Steven Sloan, Associated Press Steven Sloan, Associated Press By — Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press By — Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-republicans-reject-war-powers-resolution-after-trump-berates-them-at-capitol-meeting Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Senate Republicans reject war powers resolution after Trump berates them at Capitol meeting Politics Jun 25, 2026 9:10 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his war in Iran held a late-night vote Wednesday to try to appease him, rejecting a war powers resolution a day after a similar measure passed. Trump harangued GOP senators face to face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber's business to a halt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Hours later, though, Cassidy was invited to receive a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff. Cassidy then returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate but nearly identical war powers resolution. "I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns," said Cassidy, who lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, in a post on X. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who has repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present this time "to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace," he said on X. The measure failed 47-50-1 just before midnight on Wednesday, and the Senate then left town for a two-week recess. It's unclear whether the move will be enough to appease Trump, who had called the Republicans "losers" for voting against his war and had called Cassidy a "lunatic" at the lunch after their tense exchange. But the vote was a clear signal to the president from Republican senators who still want to placate him, despite increasing tensions in recent weeks and his decision Wednesday morning to reverse himself and delay signing a housing bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support. President Donald Trump, escorted by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., heads to a meeting with Senate Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Photo by J. S