Republican senators proved yet again that their spines are made of pudding on Wednesday, rejecting a resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers, the AP reported. The flip-flop came after Trump blew up at GOP senators for voting “yes” on a similar bill just one day earlier. He got into a shouting match with Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, calling him a “lunatic” for voting with Democrats to pass the legislation. Cassidy told reporters after the meeting that he had lost his temper. According to Cassidy, he berated Trump for not being clear with Congress, and with Americans, about what’s going on in Iran. But it turns out Cassidy, who lost his primary election last month to a Trump-backed opponent, just needed a little hand holding. After the heated exchange, Cassidy was invited to a personal briefing at the White House from JD Vance and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the AP. He then went back to Capitol Hill and promptly voted the other way on a nearly identical war powers bill. “I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” Cassidy posted on X.Republican Senator Rand Paul also switched his vote. Paul, who has voted multiple times with Democrats to block the war in Iran, voted “present” as “a way to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” he posted on X. Trump celebrated the news on Truth Social, thanking Senators John Thune, Lindsey Graham, and Bernie Moreno, and noting that Cassidy and Paul had changed their votes. “This vote puts Iran on notice!” he wrote. Ultimately, the back-and-forth on the bill doesn’t change much: Both votes were largely symbolic, and neither resolution would have had the power to actually force Trump to change his actions in Iran. But this vote symbolizes something we already knew: that even the Republicans who claim to have principles will gladly sacrifice them at the altar of Trump.
