Republican senators switched their votes on an Iran war resolution late Wednesday, hours after a fractious meeting that included a shouting match with President Donald Trump over their opposition to the conflict.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) had previously voted to progress a war powers resolution giving Congress the ability to halt the war.But after a contentious closed-door lunch Wednesday, in which Cassidy said he had “lost my temper” and Trump said he raised his voice as well, Republicans held a late-night vote in which the pair backed away from their support for the resolution.Cassidy, the outgoing Louisiana senator, was given a private briefing before the vote at the White House that he said addressed “many of my concerns.”Cassidy then returned to Capitol Hill to vote against the war powers resolution that would have seen Congress direct Trump “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.”Had it passed both the Senate and the House, Trump would have been forced to veto it.In the event, Cassidy voted no and Paul voted present, meaning the resolution failed 47-50-1.The Senate is now due to leave town for a two-week recess.Sen.
Bill Cassidy (R-LA) leaves the Senate Chamber for a meeting with President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill onKevin Dietsch / Getty Images“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran,” Cassidy said on X.“I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”Paul said he did so to “give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.”They had both voted to advance the resolution March 19.Their shift came after the closed-door lunch in w...