Trump clashes with senate GOP over vote to block war against Iran
President Donald Trump berated Senate Republicans face-to-face on Wednesday for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber's business to a halt.
Invited by Florida Sen Rick Scott to speak at a GOP luncheon in the Capitol, Trump had signalled ahead of time that he would use the closed-door meeting to push senators to pass his proof-of-citizenship voting bill. But the conversation was more focused on Tuesday's vote to approve the war powers resolution, a mostly symbolic measure that allows Congress to rebuke the administration's military actions. The House passed its own version of the resolution earlier this month.
Trump had particular words for the four Republican senators who voted with Democrats on the measure -- Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — after calling them “losers” on social media.
Most Republicans stayed quiet. But Cassidy, who lost re-election in his primary last month after Trump endorsed an opponent, stood up and defended his vote. “I stood and said, You have not told the American people what's going on,” Cassidy told reporters after the meeting. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it's lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved,” he added.
