Senate Republicans late Wednesday voted down a war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's military actions against Iran, a day after a similar measure had passed, following intense pressure from the president.
The vote came hours after Trump sharply criticized Republican senators during a private lunch meeting for allowing the earlier resolution to advance, deepening tensions within the party over the administration's Iran policy, reports AP.
The dispute has complicated Republican efforts to focus on domestic issues ahead of the elections, particularly concerns over affordability and the economy.
During the closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans, Trump questioned why any GOP senator would support a measure seeking to limit further US military action against Iran.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, one of four Republicans who backed the resolution, defended his position, saying the administration had failed to adequately explain its objectives in Iran to the American people.
"This is supposed to last four weeks. It's lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved," Cassidy later told reporters.
According to Cassidy, the exchange became heated when he said he would continue supporting war powers resolutions until Congress received a full briefing on developments in Iran.
Trump reportedly raised his voice and repeatedly instructed Cassidy to sit down. A person familiar with the private meeting said the president at one point referred to the senator as a "lunatic."
Cassidy acknowledged that he also lost his temper during the confrontation, saying afterward that his reaction "was not appropriate."
Meanwhile, congressional Democrats on Wednesday called for investigations into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, adding to the political turbulence surrounding the president's troubled $16 million rehabilitation project.
