Senate Republicans reject Iran war powers measure after Trump pressure

Senate Republicans rejected a war powers resolution in a late-night vote, hours after they were berated by Donald Trump over opposition to his controversial war on Iran. The US president was said to have harangued GOP senators during a lunch on Capitol Hill earlier on Wednesday. The previous day, they had angered the White House by allowing a vote to block Trump’s war in Iran. Trump got into a particularly heated argument with Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana senator and one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure, and who placed third in Louisiana’s Senate primary last month after Trump urged voters to back a rival candidate. Speaking to reporters following the tense luncheon, Cassidy said his argument with Trump began after the president asked: “Why would anybody vote for the War Powers Act?” “Is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?” Cassidy said he replied. Hours later, though, Cassidy was invited to receive a personal briefing on the war at the White House from JD Vance and Trump’s 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 re-election last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, in a post on X. …