The Senate on Tuesday advanced a resolution to limit President Trump’s war powers against Iran, marking the first time after several attempts that the upper legislative chamber moved forward with such a measure.

The Senate advanced the measure in a 50-47 vote.

Some GOP senators did not vote, while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) became the fourth Republican to support the war powers resolution.

The Hill shared further:

Cassidy joined Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) in voting Tuesday for a motion to discharge the war powers resolution sponsored by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The motion passed by a vote of 50 to 47, setting up a future vote to proceed to the motion on the Senate floor.

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Murkowski broke ranks with Senate Republican leaders last week to vote to advance the war powers resolution.

Collins began voting to end the military conflict against Iran late last month, just before the 60-day window set forth by the 1973 War Powers Act allowing the president to deploy U.S. troops without congressional authorization was about to expire.

Paul has consistently voted in favor of Democratic-sponsored resolutions to end the military conflict in Iran.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the lone Democrat senator to vote against the measure.

“Sen. Bill Cassidy, who just lost his primary after Trump worked to oust him, joined 3 other Republicans and all Democrats to move the measure forward. Still a long way from becoming law, and Democrats almost certainly lack the votes to override a veto,” Fox News noted.

CBS News has more:

And three Republicans — Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — did not vote, tipping the scales in Democrats’ favor for the first time since they began bringing war powers resolutions related to Iran.

“Vote by vote, Democrats are breaking through Republicans’ wall of silence on Trump’s illegal war,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement after the measure advanced. “Today proved our pressure is working: Republicans are starting to crack, and momentum is building to check him. We are not letting up.”

The resolution, led by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, would direct the president to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”

The vote marked only a first step in the Senate. And even if both chambers approved the resolution, the president would be expected to veto it. But Democrats say the move would carry significance, and have the potential to change the president’s thinking in the war.

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