Fetterman defies Democrats, opposes Iran war powers resolution after US strikes

WASHINGTON - In a vote Wednesday, the U.S. Senate failed to pass a war powers resolution which gives lawmakers an opportunity to demand congressional approval before any further attacks are carried out in Iran. 

The vote was 47-53; Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat who voted against it. 

The U.S. House will vote on a similar bill later this week, and it too faces an unlikely path through the Republican-controlled chamber. 

What we know:

Sen. Fetterman's vote should come as no surprise—he declared he was against the resolution over the weekend on X. 

"Committed Democrat here," he wrote. "I'm a hard no. My vote is Operation Epic Fury."  

Fetterman's voting record

Dig deeper:

This is hardly the first time Fetterman has broken ranks with his party. 

He voted with Republicans to fund the government over a dozen times last year during the country's longest-ever government shutdown, while the vast majority of Democrats held out. Ultimately, he was one of only eight Senate Democrats to vote with Republicans to pass the final resolution which reopened the government. 

Fetterman was also one of the few Democrats who voted to confirm some of President Donald Trump's Cabinet appointees last year.  

Shortly after the shutdown vote, Fetterman stood by his voting record in an interview on CBS Mornings. 

"I vote a 91% Democratic line, and if Democrats have a problem with somebody that votes 91% of the same times as you are, more than nine out of 10 times, then maybe our party has a bigger problem," he said during the appearance. 

Other Pa. Dems respond

The backstory:

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power "to declare war," and this is the central debate of Wednesday's vote. 

Trump launched a surprise attack against Iran on Saturday without prior authorization from Congress, and it's fueled intense debate on The Hill. While Fetterman supports the operation in Iran, other prominent Pennsylvania Democrats have spoken out against it, particularly the president's decision to strike without the approval of Congress.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro contrasted Trump's own words. 

"Until a few days ago, [Trump] was seeking a deal to dismantle Iran's nuclear program that the President himself claimed just a few months ago was completely destroyed," his statement read. "But today he declared that this is a war for regime change, something he said he would not pursue."

A number of Pennsylvania's Congressional Democrats expressed similar concerns. 

Rep. Madeleine Dean called the attacks "the erratic decision-making of an irrational President," and said that "Americans do not want war. Americans do not want to send their sons and daughters into foreign conflict."

Trump has scrambled to win support for a conflict that Americans of all political persuasions were already wary of entering. Trump administration officials have been a frequent presence on Capitol Hill this week as they try to reassure lawmakers that they have the situation under control.

So far, six U.S. military service members have died. 

What's next:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the war could extend eight weeks, a longer time frame than has previously been floated by the Trump administration. He also acknowledged that Iran is still able to carry out missile attacks even as the U.S. tries to control the country’s airspace.