Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war in Congress’ first vote on the conflict

Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war in Congress’ first vote on the conflict
By STEPHEN GROVES, LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK

Senate Republicans have voted down an effort to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.

It demonstrated early GOP support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy.

In their debate Wednesday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored fellow senators to ask themselves if they stand with Americans “exhausted with forever wars” or with a president and defense secretary set to “bumble us headfirst” into another one.

Sen. John Barrasso is second in Senate Republican leadership and said Democrats would rather obstruct President Donald Trump than “obliterate Iran’s national nuclear program.”