'There needs to be a declaration of war': Trump wins Senate vote, but Cassidy draws red line on Iran
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'There needs to be a declaration of war': Trump wins Senate vote, but Cassidy draws red line on Iran")
U.S. President Donald Trump announces the Freedom Haulers initiative on West Executive Avenue between the West Wing of the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photograph: (AFP)
US Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic resolution to limit US military action in Iran. Despite growing concerns, President Trump retains strong party support, though Senator Cassidy insists ground troops require a congressional declaration.
Senate Republicans on Thursday (July 30) blocked another Democratic attempt to force the withdrawal of US military involvement in Iran, continuing to back President Donald Trump despite mounting concerns over the prolonged conflict, according to US media reports. The latest war powers resolution, introduced by Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, failed to secure enough Republican support, mirroring a similar vote last week in which only a handful of Republicans broke ranks to support ending US military operations in Iran.
The vote came as the conflict entered its fifth month amid reports of dwindling US munitions stockpiles, rising fuel prices and growing questions over the administration’s long-term objectives. Despite those concerns, Senate Democrats have repeatedly failed to persuade sufficient Republican lawmakers to challenge Trump’s handling of the war.
One notable shift came from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who had previously sided with Democrats in support of limiting the president’s war powers but voted against the latest resolution after receiving a classified briefing on the situation in Iran.
Cassidy acknowledged that his earlier vote had been intended as “leverage to get some information” from the administration. While maintaining that he still has reservations about the conflict, he argued that the issue was more complex than a simple yes-or-no decision.
“It is a gradation,” Cassidy said. “What we’re doing here is a gradation, a murkiness, a vagueness, but we’re trying to see our way through it. And I’m trying to see my way through it.” But Cassidy said he would oppose any deployment of US ground troops to Iran without formal congressional approval.
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“If there are ground troops, by definition, there needs to be a declaration of war from Congress on this, period,” he said. The repeated failure of the war powers resolutions underscores the continued support Trump enjoys among Senate Republicans, even as debate over the costs, risks and objectives of the Iran conflict intensifies.
