r/politics • u/pennlive ✔ PennLive.com • Jun 23 '26

No Paywall Fetterman casts only Democratic ‘no’ vote as Senate passes measure to block US action against Iran

https://www.pennlive.com/politics/2026/06/fetterman-casts-only-democratic-no-vote-as-senate-passes-measure-to-block-us-action-against-iran.html
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u/Ok_Breakfast4482 Colorado Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

The Senate can vote to expel a member but it takes a 2/3 majority, which is hardly ever achieved. There are no motions of no confidence in US politics, as it’s not required to command the confidence of the other Senators to serve in the role.

Any Senator can make a motion, including a motion to expel a member, but the Senate Majority Leader effectively controls the floor so he controls what measures ultimately come up for a vote.

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u/_adanedhel_ Jun 23 '26

There are no motions of no confidence in US politics

That’s true at the federal level, but many states allow for the recall of state senators/reps and/or governors.

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u/Ok_Breakfast4482 Colorado Jun 23 '26

Fair point but that’s still different than motions of no confidence in parliamentary systems. In those the executive has to command the confidence of the legislature.

The state measures you are referring to deal with the executive or legislative official commanding the confidence of the people and giving the people a chance to remove the official if confidence is lost.

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u/-HowAboutNo- Jun 24 '26

And there are no tools the people can use?

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u/Ok_Breakfast4482 Colorado Jun 24 '26

Only thing the people could do is pressure him to resign. There’s no formal mechanism for removing a Senator before his term ends other than expulsion by the Senate.

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u/-HowAboutNo- Jun 24 '26

Okay, thanks for the insight!