Fetterman bucks party again, votes against Iran War Powers resolution

By John Cole | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, once again, was the only Democrat on Thursday to vote against a resolution which would limit President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran.

Fetterman and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., were among the 50 who voted to reject the effort, while 49 voted in favor.

While a majority of Republicans voted to reject this resolution, four Republicans crossed the aisle to support it. Several votes have been decided by a one-vote margin since the war began, while Reuters notes that it was the 14th time that the Senate has voted on this war powers resolution.

Fetterman didn’t issue a public statement following his vote on Thursday. However, he has been a vocal opponent against the effort from his fellow Democrats since the beginning of the war, despite growing opposition from members of his own party.

On Feb. 28, Fetterman shared a screenshot of an Axios article titled “Democrats demand war powers vote after U.S. strikes Iran.”

Fetterman’s response to that was “Committed Democrat here. I’m a hard no. My vote is Operation Epic Fury.”

McCormick, a military veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Division during the Gulf War, also didn’t issue a public statement regarding that vote on Thursday. However, he’s also been a Trump ally during this military operation and defended the president’s actions as recently as Sunday.

“I’ve been very supportive of the president’s actions to ensure Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” McCormick said on Fox News Sunday on Sept. 20. “It was a courageous decision, not an easy decision, but imagine the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon on his watch, which I believe would have happened had we not intervened.”

“We’ve made huge progress on diminishing their military,” he added. “They still have some capability, but it’s been significant, and our economic efforts are working.”

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has led the effort since late February, described the military action against Iran as “illegal” and called on the U.S. Senate to return to session and “vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran.”

The 1973 War Powers Resolution “requires military operations to wind down after 60 days, unless Congress authorizes continued action,” according to Politico. Multiple votes have taken place since the legal deadline has passed.

While the last several attempts have failed by a one-vote margin, more Republicans running in battleground states have expressed opposition to the war.

NBC News reports that in recent days, GOP Senate candidates Mike Rogers in Michigan and Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa have called for ending the war after siding with Trump on it for months.

Recent polling also indicates that the war is not popular in Pennsylvania.

Just 31% of Pennsylvanians either strongly or somewhat approve of Trump’s handling of the war in Iran, while 67% strongly or somewhat disapprove, according to a New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll conducted among 615 voters from Sept. 15 to 22.

The U.S. House has supported the resolution on multiple occasions. On Sept. 15, the chamber voted to pass the resolution, which would restrict Trump’s military actions against Iran. While the vote mostly fell along party lines for Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick joined Democrats in voting in support.

Fetterman, who has been viewed as the deciding vote on multiple occasions for this resolution, has been sharply criticized by his fellow Democrats, including those who have been named as potential primary challengers in 2028.

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-17th District, is a Navy veteran and has been outspoken in his criticism of the war since Feb. 28.

“John Fetterman just cast the deciding vote to keep the Iran War raging,” Deluzio wrote on social media Thursday. “This reckless war has cost American lives, innocent lives, tens of billions of dollars, and higher prices on nearly everything here at home. John and 49 Republican Senators voted in favor of all of that. Change is coming…”