Vice President JD Vance hosted Republican senators after a tense Capitol meeting between President Donald Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy, with Cassidy later changing his vote on a nearly identical Iran war powers resolution.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Vice President JD Vance hosted a dinner with Republican senators Wednesday night after President Donald Trump clashed earlier in the day with Sen. Bill Cassidy over the Louisiana Republican’s support for a war powers resolution aimed at forcing the administration to withdraw U.S. troops from the war with Iran.
The evening meeting preceded a second Senate vote on a nearly identical war powers measure. This time, the resolution failed, giving Trump a political victory after Cassidy switched his vote to “no” and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., changed his vote to “present.”
Cassidy had voted for the earlier resolution, which called on the administration to end U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict. Trump confronted him during a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans, and Cassidy later told reporters he would not “be bullied into silence.”
After that meeting, Cassidy sought more information from the administration. According to The Hill, Cassidy passed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff a note asking for a briefing on Iran.
“Steve, I would consider changing my vote, but I’ve been voting yes because I’ve not been briefed,” Cassidy recalled writing to Witkoff, according to CBS. “He said, ‘Call me back in the hour and let’s have a briefing.’ We had it last night.”
Following the briefing and dinner hosted by Vance, Cassidy voted against the second war powers resolution. Paul, who had also opposed the administration’s Iran policy in the earlier vote, shifted to a “present” vote.
The reversal marked a quick turnaround for Senate Republicans after Trump’s direct intervention and Vance’s follow-up outreach. The failed vote helped the White House blunt a challenge from within the president’s own party over war powers and the administration’s handling of the Iran conflict.
The episode underscored the pressure facing Republican senators as Trump pushes to maintain party unity on Iran while critics in Congress seek more briefings and greater clarity on the administration’s objectives.
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