However, beyond sending a symbolic message, the vote is largely moot as on Wednesday, as part of the Farm Bill passage, the House voted to block members from forcing a war powers vote this year. Still, the Senate vote Thursday underscored the depth of frustration with Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill, as well as the escalating gap between the White House and Congress on the relationship between the U.S. and the kingdom.

Senators said passage sends a strong message to the Saudi crown prince because it targets his most important foreign policy priority. And just to make sure the Senate was heard loud and clear, the Senate also passed a measure which said that the Saudi Crown Prince was behind Khashoggi's death.

"I hope … we send a loud and powerful message by passing this resolution. That we're going to bring peace to that country and that the United States Congress is going to reassert its constitutional authority to make the body that makes war not the president," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), one of the sponsors of the resolution, told reporters.

"A strong denouncing of a crown prince and holding them responsible for the murder of a journalist. It's a pretty strong statement for the United States Senate to be making, assuming we can get a vote on it," Senator Bob Corker told reporters this week.