Senate Republicans Block Warnock War Powers Resolution to Stop President Trump’s War in Iran

Today, Senate Republicans blocked Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock’s War Powers Resolution to stop President Trump’s war in Iran This action follows more than 100 days of war in the Middle East In April, Senator Warnock introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate to force a vote on whether senators support or reject the president’s illegal war of choice Senator Reverend Warnock: “After 109 days of contradictory messaging, rampant and rank corruption—with people literally cashing in on news about this war—and devastating news stories from the Middle East, will this be the vote when my colleagues finally stand up for their constituents rather than simply standing up for Donald Trump?” WATCH Senator Warnock’s floor remarks on his War Powers Resolution Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Republicans moved to block U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock’s (D-GA) War Powers resolution to stop President Trump’s war in Iran from passing on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Senator Warnock spoke about the need to put forth his resolution moments before the vote. “After 109 days of contradictory messaging, rampant and rank corruption—with people literally cashing in on news about this war—and devastating news stories from the Middle East, will this be the vote when my colleagues finally stand up for their constituents rather than simply standing up for Donald Trump,” said Senator Warnock. Since President Trump launched his illegal war in February 2026, Senator Warnock has been a fierce opponent of the Trump administration’s decision to deploy U.S. military forces in Iran. Senator Warnock has spoken on the Senate floor condemning the Trump administration for entangling Americans in another endless war without a clear exit strategy. Following a deadly U.S. Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed at least 168 people—most of them children—Senator Warnock sent a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) calling for a bipartisan investigation, public hearing, and full report into the errant attack. In the letter, the Senator requested information on who was responsible, how the target was selected, and what processes are being developed to ensure similar tragedies are not repeated in the future. Watch the Senator’s remarks HERE and read the transcript below. “Madam President, I rise today to ask a simple question. After 109 days of a failed war, and now a fragile, temporary, but welcome truce, will my Republican colleagues choose today to finally stand up to this president? Will my colleagues say enough is enough to the president who ran as a candidate promising no new wars?” “After 109 days of contradictory messaging, rampant and rank corruption—with people literally cashing in on news about this war—and devastating news stories from the Middle East, will this be the vote when my colleagues finally stand up for their constituents rather than simply standing up for Donald Trump? “Here we are, tens of billions, if not hundreds of billions, of American taxpayer dollars spent. Gas prices are well over $4 a gallon. Hard-working American families crushed under tens of billions of dollars in soaring energy prices, and inflation driven by this unnecessary war and the ultimate price—the ultimate price—13 service members tragically killed. The question is, where, where did all of that land us? What did it accomplish? And it appears that we are basically back at the status quo at best. “Let me start by saying that I’m very proud of our military. That’s not the question here. We, we have the most powerful, the most effective military force in human history. The problem is that the President has decided to use that military force and significantly deplete our defense arsenal for his own pet projects. He decided to launch an attack on Iran to decapitate the brutal leadership of an awful regime, but he had no plans for what he would do the next day. And so today the regime is still in place with younger and potentially more hardline and radical leadership. “So even now with the war hopefully coming to an end, I still don’t understand why we were in this war in the first place. It appears that the only thing this war has done is put service members’ lives at risk, Americans in the region at risk. It has undermined our global standing, millions of civilians in harm’s way, and so we pray for the families of the brave Americans who have already paid the ultimate sacrifice. Our service members, who are the best among us, and who go no matter who the president is or what their politics are. They were simply following orders. Our service members embody courage and patriotism. They put it on the line for us, and I submit that they deserve better than this. We’ve learned, due in part to recent history, that it’s easier to get into a war than it is to get out. The President said on multiple occasions, “It will all work out well in the end. It always does”. Maybe it always does for him, but we’re sending brave American service members into battle, and they return with visible and invisible wounds of war. This is something not to be handled in a cavalier manner. It is the most sacred responsibility of an American president. “And so, I promised the people of Georgia that I would walk with them, even as I worked for them. I have listened to agonizing stories of war from veterans whose lives will never be the same. I’ve stood at Dover Air Force Base to receive the bodies of Georgia’s heroes. I’ve looked into the grief-stricken eyes of their family members as they greeted a flag draped coffin, grappling with unbearable grief. It is gut-wrenching, and it is something that I think about whenever we consider the consequences of sending our service members into harm’s way. The question is, did the president think about it? Did he think about those families? Even as he said it will all just work out. It always does. 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. Let’s not forget that the President of the United States, in deciding to launch this war, created a situation in which we lost our service members. “We continue to grieve the dozens of fathers in Iran who will be without their school-aged daughters on Father’s Day. As an elementary school in Minab was attacked on the first day, or a bomb was dropped on that school, the first day. A horrific mistake with huge human consequences, and this was on day one of the war. Young children who didn’t get a chance to grow up, hundreds of dreams that will never be realized. Those Iranian babies are human beings. They too are children of God, and so this kind of consequential action requires much more thought, a much more serious-minded administration than what we have seen over the last year and a half. And so, I hope that we are seeing the beginning of the end of this war, but we paid a huge cost, and I’m not so sure what we’re getting for that. “But the question before this body is, will this president do this again? I think the answer is yes. He will continue to choose bombs over diplomacy because he is a failed war monger, and that’s why I’m urging my colleagues to speak up in this moral moment. Send a message that the president should not feel that he can easily and so cavalierly use American might while Congress stands idly by. “The time is always right to do what’s right. I urge my colleagues to do what your constituents are begging you to do and join me in putting a check on this president’s lawless warmongering. Warmongering that has upended the global economy, sent gas prices soaring, the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Iran perhaps seems even more emboldened to try it again. And what is the plan to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon with Iran going into this truce with all of its enriched uranium. We had a deal. Donald Trump chose war over diplomacy. Hopefully, this Congress will stand up and do its job. The time is always right to do what’s right. That time is now. “I yield the floor.” ###