US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump's Iran war powers
The Senate, led by Republicans, dismissed a Democratic effort to curb President Trump's authority to use military force against Iran, despite Trump's consideration of further bombings. The resolution, requiring congressional approval for hostilities, failed in a 53-47 vote, highlighting divisions over war powers.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The Senate on Friday, June 27, 2025, blocked a Democratic resolution sponsored by Kaine that would have forced President Donald Trump to go to Congress for approval of further military action against Iran, dealing a blow to efforts to rein in his war powers. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
The Republican-led U.S. Senate rejected a Democratic-led bid on Friday to block President Donald Trump from using further military force against Iran , hours after the president said he would consider more bombing.The Senate vote was 53 to 47 against a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for more hostilities against Iran. The vote was along party lines, except Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman voted no, with Republicans, and Kentucky Republican Rand Paul voted yes, with Democrats.Senator Tim Kaine , chief sponsor of the resolution, has tried for years to wrest back Congress' authority to declare war from both Republican and Democratic presidents.Kaine said his latest effort underscored that the U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the sole power to declare war and requires that any hostility with Iran be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of military force."If you think the president should have to come to Congress, whether you are for or against a war in Iran, you'll support Senate Joint Resolution 59, you'll support the Constitution that has stood the test of time," Kaine said in a speech before the vote.Lawmakers have been pushing for more information about weekend U.S. strikes on Iran, and the fate of Iran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.Earlier on Friday, Trump sharply criticized Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, dropped plans to lift sanctions on Iran, and said he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to worrisome levels.He was reacting to Khamenei's first remarks after a 12-day conflict with Israel that ended when the United States launched bombing raids against Iranian nuclear sites.'OBLITERATED'Members of Trump's national security team held classified briefings on the strikes for the Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday and Friday. Many Democratic lawmakers left the briefings saying they had not been convinced that Iran's nuclear facilities had been "obliterated," as Trump announced shortly after the raid.Opponents of the resolution said the strike on Iran was a single, limited operation within Trump's rights as commander-in-chief, not the start of sustained hostilities.Senator Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican who served as ambassador to Japan during Trump's first term, said the measure could prevent any president from acting quickly against a country that has been a long-term adversary."We must not shackle our president in the middle of a crisis when lives are on the line," Hagerty said before the vote.Trump has rejected any suggestion that damage to Iran's nuclear program was not as profound as he has said. Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production.Under U.S. law, Senate war powers resolutions are privileged, meaning that the chamber had to promptly consider and vote on the measure, which Kaine introduced this month.But to be enacted, the resolution would have had to pass the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, whereSpeaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, said this week he did not think it was the right time for such an effort.During Trump's first term, in 2020, Kaine introduced a similar resolution to rein in the Republican president's ability to wage war against Iran. That measure passed both the Senate and House of Representatives, with some Republican support, but did not garner enough votes to survive the president's veto.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
37 minutes ago
- Hans India
US Senate reduces remittance tax to 1 pc from 3.5 pc in relief for NRIs
Washington: The US Senate has proposed to reduce remittance transfer tax from 3.5 per cent to just 1 per cent, offering considerable relief to non-resident Indians (NRIs). The revised draft of US President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" excludes transfers from accounts held at banks and other financial institutions, and also excludes transfers made via debit and credit cards issued in the United States. It means that a large portion of day-to-day remittances may fall outside the scope of the new tax. Originally, the bill sought a 5 per cent tax but the final House version lowered it to 3.5 per cent. According to Lloyd Pinto, Partner-US Tax, Grant Thornton Bharat, Senate republicans released their updated draft of the proposed 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' and have a self-imposed deadline of July 4 to try to pass this bill. 'The updated Senate version significantly changes the remittance transfer provisions that was passed by the House Republicans. In the latest Senate draft, the remittance transfer tax has been reduced to 1 per cent from the erstwhile proposal of 3.5 per cent,' he said. Notably, the Senate proposal excludes transfers from accounts held at banks and other financial institution and also excludes transfers made via debit and credit cards issued in the United States. The remittance transfer tax will apply only to any remittance transfer for which the sender provides cash, a money order, a cashier's check, or other similar physical instrument to the remittance transfer provider. This tax will apply to transfers made after December 31, 2025. 'This should come as a huge relief to the NRI community in the US as they will not be subject to this remittance tax if the remittances are made through accounts held with designated US bank and financial institutions or funded via debit or credit cards issued in the US,' Pinto noted.
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Who is Deja Foxx? Gen Z Arizona influencer running for Congress dubbed ‘the next AOC'
Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media activist and abortion rights advocate, is running for Congress in Arizona's 7th District. Her campaign has quickly drawn comparisons to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Deja Foxx officially declared her campaign in April after the death of long-time Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died of cancer in March at age 77. Foxx officially declared her campaign in April after the death of longtime Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died of cancer in March at age 77, as reported by The Washington Post. Foxx garnered national media attention in 2017 for a viral video in which she described her confrontation with then-Sen. Jeff Flake over Planned Parenthood funding. She used that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accrue a large following on social media, where she continues to share advocacy-related content with her followers regularly. Foxx is now leveraging her experience with the Harris campaign and looking to run for office in order to inspire young and progressive voters. Foxx focusing on abortion rights Much like Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 campaign, which unseated a powerful incumbent, Foxx is running on a progressive message and is emphasizing abortion rights. One of her key talking points is the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*. Foxx has acknowledged Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Jasmine Crockett as inspirations who she thinks 'best represent the values of the party." Despite the comparisons, Foxx faces an uphill battle. A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed her at just 5% support in the Democratic primary, far behind front-runner Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late congressman, who polled at 49%. Despite all the hurdles, Foxx has asserted that she's not backing down. Like AOC, she's rejected super PAC money and is relying on small-dollar donations, with an average contribution of about $29. She's also leaning into her age, saying it's a reason why her voice matters in politics. 'If everybody who told me I was too young went and told somebody that they were too old, we would be in a vastly different political structure right now,' as cited by a Newsweek report. She added, 'Age is a defining factor in our political system. Like it or not, it just is,' noting that 'the seat she is running for opened up because somebody passed away while in office.' Concerns about aging leadership in Washington have grown in recent years. Grijalva is the third Democratic member of Congress to die in office this year. Since 2022, eight sitting lawmakers have passed away. A challenging past Foxx has been open about her difficult upbringing. Her campaign website says she experienced homelessness as a teen but became the first in her family to attend college, earning a full scholarship to Columbia University. In her interview with Newsweek, she recalled relying on Title X funding as a teenager. 'I was a teenager living with my boyfriend, working at a gas station. We relied on Title X funding,' she said. 'Planned Parenthood centers [helped me] get the birth control that I needed to take control of my body and my future when I had no money, no parents, and no insurance.' She further mentioned that all her early experiences made her realize how disconnected some lawmakers are from the people they represent. 'And this is just one of those ways that policymakers, often disconnected from their constituents, vote without ever thinking about the consequences for real people.' Also Read: Trump and Kamala Harris 'saddened' by Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis Deja Foxx shares experience of working for Harris campaign Moving further, Foxx said her time working on Harris' campaign taught her how to be bold in politics. 'What it taught me is a lesson that I took into 2024 and that I'm taking into my own special election here in 2025 as I stick my head up to lead and to run — which was what it means to be fearless.' After Harris lost the 2024 election, Foxx said she felt compelled to step into the spotlight herself. 'It wasn't enough for me to just work behind the scenes of campaigns or in front of the cameras,' she said. 'I needed to give them someone they could get excited about, or we would stand to lose our generation.'
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
New York's elite public schools at risk as socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani targets admissions test
New York City's specialized public high schools, long regarded as one of the few bright spots in the city's struggling education system, may face a major overhaul under the potential leadership of socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With Mamdani projected to win the Democratic mayoral primary, his plans to eliminate the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) — the gateway to eight of the city's most prestigious selective high schools — have sparked intense debate about the future of merit-based education in the US's largest school district. These specialized high schools, including the Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School, have offered talented students from across the city an opportunity to escape underperforming local schools and attend some of the nation's top public high schools. But Mamdani's socialist-leaning agenda, which extends beyond housing and wages to education reform, threatens to dismantle the exam system that many credit with maintaining academic excellence and diversity in these schools. Specialized high schools: a rare success story in NYC public education The city's eight specialized high schools admit students solely through the SHSAT, a test designed to select the most academically gifted students. While New York City public schools often face criticism for overspending, lack of accountability, and overall dysfunction, these schools have consistently produced exceptional academic results. They provide opportunities for students from varied economic backgrounds, with roughly half of students at top schools like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science considered economically disadvantaged. For example, 52 percent of Bronx Science students come from low-income families. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, the SHSAT has also drawn criticism for what opponents call racial bias. Asian students have historically scored highest on the test; in 2023, over two-thirds of Stuyvesant's student body was Asian. This has led critics to accuse the test of perpetuating segregation. Yet, as reported by Reason, Asian students in New York City also have the lowest median income among racial groups, challenging assumptions that specialized schools are dominated by affluent students. Mamdani himself is an alumnus of Bronx Science and has acknowledged the segregation problem but insists the SHSAT must be abolished. Mamdani's challenge to merit-based admissions As quoted by Reason, Mamdani has stated, "I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT." His campaign focuses on implementing recommendations from the 2019 School Diversity Advisory Group, which call for eliminating gifted programs at elementary levels and halting new test-in schools. Mamdani argues that ending the SHSAT will address systemic segregation and inequality in education. Yet critics warn that eliminating the SHSAT could harm talented students, particularly those from low-income families who rely on the merit-based test to access top-tier education. The current system already includes support programs for disadvantaged students who narrowly miss admission, such as summer study sessions that offer a second chance to gain entry. The risk of losing a proven pathway for talented students Removing the SHSAT may not close achievement gaps but could instead reduce opportunities for many capable students. The exam provides a clear, standardized metric to identify academic talent across all neighborhoods and income levels. Without it, students from disadvantaged backgrounds might lose access to schools where they can learn among peers with similar abilities, limiting both their growth and chances for upward mobility. Mamdani's plans, if enacted, would represent a significant shift in one of the most closely watched education systems in the US. While the goal of increased integration and equity is widely supported, education experts and advocates caution that dismantling a merit-based system without a proven alternative may do more harm than good. As Reason reported, the debate over New York City's specialized high schools highlights a broader national conversation about balancing fairness, diversity, and excellence in public education under the current US administration led by President Trump.
