Reed Votes to End Trump’s War of Choice in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Senate once again debated and voted on a War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged his colleagues to rein in President Trump and prevent him from continuing to unilaterally waging war in Iran without approval from Congress. But on a vote of 52-47, Senate Republicans blocked the resolution to limit President Trump's war authority in Iran for the fourth time.

The resolution "directs 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."

As the president's war of choice approaches the two-month mark, Senator Reed took to the Senate floor today and noted that the Trump Administration has refused to make a case for war to either Congress or the American people and has put the United States in a strategically weaker position. Senator Reed pointed out that Americans are paying a steep price at home for the president's reckless and repeated mistakes, and it is time to seriously pursue a diplomatic, not military, solution to the war.

Congress passed the War Powers law in 1973 after the Vietnam War to serve as a check on the president's power to enter armed conflict without consent from the American people and Congress. Under the law, after 60 days of unauthorized military operations, the president must remove U.S. forces from a conflict. Although the president may obtain a 30-day extension by certifying that it is an "unavoidable military necessity."

Video of Senator Reed's remarks is available here and text of his floor statement follows:

U.S. SENATE FLOOR - Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - To Discuss the Iran War Powers Resolution

SEN. REED: Mr. President, I rise to discuss the war in Iran.

Forty-six days ago, President Trump unilaterally launched this war. He declined to make a case to the American people. He refused to consult Congress. He failed to present evidence of an imminent threat. And he ignored his advisers, who warned him about the perils of such an operation. President Trump believed he alone had the judgment to engage our nation in a major conflict, and he alone had the ability to secure a quick, complete victory.

After more than six weeks of war, what has the President accomplished?

Thirteen American servicemembers have tragically lost their lives. More than 300 have been wounded. Thousands of civilians across the Middle East have been killed and injured, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The United States has lost dozens of aircraft, sustained significant damage to our bases, and burned through an alarming amount of our missile inventory. Global oil prices have surged more than 45 percent, and the costs of gasoline and household goods in our communities have risen significantly.

American families are bearing the costs of a war they wanted nothing to do with and have gained nothing from. In sum, the President took a difficult status quo and somehow managed to make it far worse.

On February 27th, the Strait of Hormuz was open to maritime traffic. American farmers could count on fertilizer shipments. Our high-tech chip makers, in whom we've invested billions of taxpayer dollars, could count on helium deliveries. Today, the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Incredibly, it is now President Trump who is blockading the Strait rather than the Iranians. This is a bizarre and incoherent strategy. A blockade will push prices even higher, with ripple effects on food, fuel, and consumer goods across this country. Additionally, Iran has demonstrated that it responds to military pressure with defiance, not concession. This blockade is unlikely to change Iran's negotiating position, and I worry it will do nothing more than place our servicemembers in greater danger.

Only under President Trump's chaotic tenure would a month and a half of fighting result in the United States being in a weaker strategic position than before the war began. Here are the facts. Iran still retains its nuclear program. Its ballistic missile capabilities and drone arsenal, although diminished, still pose a threat. Moreover, the regime has learned it can effectively control the Strait of Hormuz when it chooses. President Trump has badly damaged America's standing with our allies, emboldened our adversaries, and lost any moral authority he had on the international stage. The American people, including his own supporters, strongly disapprove of the war.

At this stage we must ask, what comes next?

The President has shown he will not listen to military and regional experts and is uninterested in earning the support of the American people.

While that is a decision he can make, if he is unconstrained by anything other than his 'own morality,' then Congress has a duty to constrain him through the powers we hold as the constitutional check and balance on the President.

Congress controls the purse. Congress declares war and ratifies treaties. Congress represents-and answers to-the American people. It is long past time for Republicans to stop avoiding their constitutional duties and start reining in the President's ability to unilaterally wage this war. At a bare minimum, it is long past time they hold public hearings with cabinet officials to provide accountability for the American people.

I am relieved that the ceasefire appears to be holding for now. The Administration should use this time wisely and immediately return to negotiating a diplomatic agreement. That means engaging in serious, structured conversations with Iran to address nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, proxy activity, sanctions relief, and security guarantees.

It also means taking a realistic approach to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians have a complex, layered network of sea mines, fast-attack boats, air and sea drones, missiles, and hidden launch sites in the cliffs around the Strait that provide them with many effective options to threaten ships in the passage. Even if the United States cleared the Strait of mines and began escorting commercial ships with our own Navy vessels, militarily suppressing and defeating Iran's ambush network is not a sustainable long-term option. A diplomatic arrangement is the only real answer.

The President has said he was 'shocked' that Iran closed the Strait and bombarded the Gulf nations in response to his attack. That is rather astounding, because everyone with a modest knowledge of the Iranian regime was not. Indeed, the course of this war was entirely predictable. Generations of American military and political experts have examined the Iran problem and repeatedly reached the same conclusion: war with Iran would not achieve our goals.

Indeed, President Trump was given the same warning by his advisers. According to press reports, General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, warned the President of becoming entangled in a prolonged conflict and expressed concerns about U.S. casualties and the difficulty caused by a lack of allies. General Caine also reportedly raised the possibility that Iran would block the Strait of Hormuz, stating it was long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world's most vital shipping lane. A separate intelligence official reportedly emphasized, "It wasn't just predictable. It was predicted. He was told in advance." The President ignored this expert advice, and decades of historical lessons, and attacked anyway.

At this juncture, the Administration has realized that the Iranians are not going to capitulate, and that the difficult work of diplomacy cannot be wrapped up in a mere 21 hours of negotiation. Facing this reality, the President has several options.

First, the president could simply declare victory and leave the region without a deal. But what he would leave behind is a battered Iran with more antagonistic and radical leaders who may have concluded the only way to avoid future attacks is to acquire a nuclear weapon. With hundreds of pounds of enriched uranium on hand, that possibility is very real-and could accelerate with Russian, Chinese, or North Korean assistance.

Second, the President could launch new military strikes to try to force the regime to surrender. However, this would inevitably result in renewed attacks against our forces in the region and a prolonged closure of the Strait. And, as I mentioned earlier, the regime has already demonstrated that its threshold for pain is high and regard for its people is low. An extended military campaign would not change the Iranians' negotiating demands.

I would propose a third route. The President can resurrect serious negotiations with Iran across the full range of issues dividing our two nations. The agenda must be broad enough for both sides to claim benefit. The United States must address nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and malign proxy activity, and Iran will seek guarantees against further military operations, sanctions relief, and other assurances. President Trump was foolish to tear up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action he inherited from President Obama, but with careful diplomacy his Administration may be able to regain some of the important pieces that he previously abandoned.

But there is an additional obstacle to peace that must be addressed. Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu has spent the better part of thirty years gathering support for what he believed to be an inevitable confrontation with Iran. His personal and political fortunes are entirely aligned with the continuation of this war. As he faces an election and a criminal trial, he is using the war as personal and political armor. Unless Trump is willing to force Netanyahu to stand down, Israel will continue operations regardless of what America does.

Mr. President, this war was ill-conceived. I opposed it and, if it is still ongoing after 60 days, I will vote against an authorization of military force to continue it. From day one Trump lacked any clear objectives and realistic views of the consequences. But peace can be accomplished. The path forward requires honesty from President Trump about what military force can and cannot achieve, the discipline to negotiate seriously, and the courage to lead our allies rather than alienate them.

Unfortunately, this President cannot be trusted to chart this path. He has shown an intractable instinct for destruction first and diplomacy last. We will never secure a peaceful conclusion to this conflict as long as Congress allows President Trump to wage war whenever and however he sees fit.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this War Powers Resolution. I urge them to choose the path of peace before the costs of President Trump's war become irreversible.

I yield the floor.

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