Congress

Why Did Congress Vote To End the Iran War After It Finished?

Democrats and Republicans alike dragged out the process to vote on the Iran war. Antiwar advocates say their vote still matters.

Matthew Petti | 6.24.2026 5:00 PM

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(Illustration: Adani Samat/U.S. Department of War)

Better late than never. Both houses of Congress have passed a war powers resolution on Tuesday to end the U.S. war with Iran—nearly three months after the shooting stopped, and a week after the U.S. and Iran agreed on a peace memorandum. The resolution passed the Senate on the 10th try, after four Republicans voted for it and war hawks Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) and Dave McCormick (R–Pa.) were no-shows.

Despite the war already being over, President Donald Trump lashed out at the resolution for restraining his powers. He wrote on Truth Social that the "poorly timed and meaningless" vote by "Dumocrats" and "Four Republican Losers" told "the Number One Sponser [sic] of Terror in the World that the United States doesn't  like what I am doing to them, and I must stop, and by so doing has provided aid and comfort the Enemy."

The long wait for a war powers vote was not just a matter of Congress moving slowly. Although Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) supported it from the........

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