Earlier this week, U.S. Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville joined the majority of their Senate GOP colleagues in voting to once again reject a war powers resolution that would have blocked President Trump’s military action in Iran until he wins congressional approval.
The measure, which was blocked by a final vote of 53 to 47, would have forced Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran unless Congress voted to approve the war’s continuation. U.S. Senator Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, was the lone Republican to vote in favor of the resolution, while U.S. Senator John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, was the lone Democrat to oppose it.
This is now the third time that Senate Republicans have blocked such a measure since the war began on February 28, with Britt and Tuberville voting against the resolution all three times.
In a written statement provided to APR, Britt indicated that her decision to vote down the resolution was tied to a recent incident in which Iran reportedly launched two long-range ballistic missiles at a joint U.S.-U.K. base on the island of Diego Garcia—Iranian officials denied their involvement in the incident, calling it an “Israeli false flag.”
“Just this past weekend, we learned that the Iranians targeted Diego Garcia Air Force Base, a joint U.S.-U.K. base, with ballistic missiles from 2,500 miles away,” Britt told APR. “Thankfully, the attack was unsuccessful, but it proves that the Iranians not only have the capability to strike from afar, but also the intent. This further underscores that destroying Iran’s missile capabilities—one of the key objectives of Operation Epic Fury—is paramount.”
“The President is focused on keeping Americans safe at home and abroad, and the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism possessing nuclear and missile capabilities will never allow that,” the senator added.
Tuberville did not immediately respond to APR’s request for comment regarding the motivation behind his war powers vote, and both senators declined to comment on how they believe Operation Epic Fury is benefiting everyday Alabamians.
Both Britt and Tuberville have praised the Trump administration’s decision to strike Iran since the war’s onset, despite strong opposition from the American public and Trump’s 2024 campaign pledge to be an “anti-war” president. The senators were also vocal supporters of Trump’s assault on Venezuela in January, which resulted in the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Tuberville celebrated the initial U.S. strike against Iran in a post to his X account last month.
“President Trump has shown time and time again, you NEVER threaten America,” the senator wrote.
Meanwhile Britt called the onset of Operation Epic Fury “a defining moment of generational leadership from President Trump to achieve sustainable peace.”
Now nearly a month in, Tuberville and Britt have continued to praise the war effort—even after the crash of a refueling plane supporting the operation resulted in the death of Auburn native Major John “Alex” Klinner and five other members of the U.S. Air Force. (The senators passed a resolution to honor Klinner and the other airmen lost in the crash just a day before voting down the war powers resolution for a third time).
Despite the measure’s failure in the Senate, Democrats now appear to be gearing up for a second war powers vote in the House. If Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, is able to reign in the four House Democrats who defected on the initial vote and retain support from at least one defecting Republican, the resolution could pass. However, with the House set to recess for the next two weeks, the vote will have to wait until April 14 at the earliest.
