Senate Republicans voted down a second war powers resolution on Iran late Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump berated them face-to-face over a similar measure that passed the day before. The reversal came after targeted White House briefings for key defectors, including Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who switched his vote after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump had harangued GOP senators during a closed-door luncheon earlier Wednesday, calling those who opposed his Iran war “losers” and exchanging harsh words with Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on Tuesday’s resolution. Cassidy, who lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, stood up during the lunch and defended his vote, saying the administration had not been transparent about the conflict. “I said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy told reporters afterward. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.” Trump repeatedly told Cassidy to sit down and called him a “lunatic,” according to a person familiar with the meeting.
Hours later, Cassidy received a personal briefing at the White House and returned to the Capitol to vote against the second war powers resolution. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who had repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present instead of yes after a separate conversation with the White House, allowing the measure to fail. Cassidy posted on X: “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.”
Trump’s Pressure Campaign Intensifies
Trump’s intervention marks an escalation of his feud with Senate Republicans, which has diverted attention from election-year affordability issues and stalled chamber business. The president also reversed himself Wednesday morning, delaying the signing of a bipartisan housing bill that had passed both chambers overwhelmingly. He demanded that the Senate first send him the SAVE America Act, a proof-of-citizenship voting bill that faces unified Democratic opposition and lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
“It makes no sense to me,” said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, adding that the voting bill “will never pass in this Congress.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the housing legislation is “an affordability issue” and expressed hope Trump would eventually sign it. But by rejecting a public bill signing, Republicans worry that Trump is signaling indifference to voter concerns about costs ahead of November’s midterm elections.
GOP Divisions Deepen
Trump has been at odds with Senate Republicans for weeks, blocking confirmation of one of his own nominees, demanding funding for his White House ballroom project, and forcing them to defend the Iran war despite their questions about strategy and endgame. He has also endorsed primary challengers to two GOP incumbents—Cassidy and Texas Sen. John Cornyn—who have become more critical of Trump since losing reelection. “If we’re going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,” Cornyn said ahead of the meeting. “We’re not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.”
Trump has pressed Thune for months to kill the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act, but Thune has repeatedly said it lacks the votes. “Those are just hard realities,” Thune said. “And I think people at some point have to come to grips with that.” Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who invited Trump to the luncheon without giving Thune a heads up, said Trump spelled out various options for passing the voting bill, including using budget reconciliation to bypass the filibuster.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he discussed a different approach with Trump: attaching the voting bill to a reconciliation measure that would need only a simple majority. But the process is lengthy and complicated, and Republicans remain divided. A handful of senators, led by Utah Sen. Mike Lee, continue to push for killing the filibuster, echoing Trump’s claims that the SAVE Act is essential for midterm victories. “He really believes it’s the key to this fall,” Scott said of Trump.
