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The Iran War-Powers Votes in Congress, 2025 to 2026

Evidence rating: CONFIRMED. Every vote on this page is taken from the official House Clerk and Senate roll-call records. Congress has never authorized the war with Iran. It has voted on ending it at least 21 times since June 2025. The House has now passed a measure to end U.S. hostilities three times (June 3, July 23, and September 15, 2026). In June 2026 both chambers adopted a resolution directing the President to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran. The war continued anyway.

If you have only heard that bombs are falling: nobody in Congress voted to start this war. The fights on this page are about whether Congress will vote to stop it. A war authorization bill, the other way Congress could act, was drafted by some Senate Republicans in May 2026 but has not passed (see below).

Why does this belong in a section about the draft? Because the same Congress that holds the draft law also holds the power to declare war. Whether a war ever needs conscripts depends on how big it gets, and Congress is the only body that can stop it from growing. These votes show, member by member, who has tried.

The rules, in plain words​

The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. The War Powers Resolution of 1973, passed over President Nixon's veto, says a president who sends forces into hostilities without authorization must report to Congress within 48 hours and must end the use of force within 60 days (plus 30 days to withdraw) unless Congress approves, as PBS NewsHour and PolitiFact explained on June 6, 2026.

It gives members two tools, and the difference matters:

  • A joint resolution (S.J.Res. or H.J.Res.) goes to the President, who can veto it. Overriding takes two-thirds of each chamber. PBS notes "No war powers resolution has ever overcome a veto."
  • A concurrent resolution (H.Con.Res.) under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution passes both chambers but never goes to the President. The Congressional Research Service explains in The War Powers Resolution: Concepts and Practice that after the Supreme Court's 1983 decision in INS v. Chadha, which struck down legislative vetoes not presented to the President, section 5(c) "is constitutionally suspect under the reasoning applied by the Court." CRS adds that "if a majority of both Houses ever voted to withdraw U.S. forces, the President would be unlikely to continue the action for long, and Congress could withhold appropriations."

The PBS explainer also reports that President Trump "did not present Congress with an authorization request," that the 60-day deadline "arrived May 1," and that "using a novel argument, Trump declared military action 'terminated' because of a ceasefire" even as hostilities continued periodically.

Why a vote matters to families: before the Iraq war, Congress voted on an authorization in October 2002. On the night the Iran strikes began, one commentator put the difference this way: "Members had to put their names on the line before anyone's kid put boots on the ground. ... If even one American service member comes home under a flag because of this, their family will be left staring at the kitchen table wondering who, exactly, signed off. They will not find their representative's name on that decision" (Mike Young on X, February 28, 2026).

June 2025: the first vote, after the nuclear-site strikes​

After the June 2025 US strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) forced a vote on S.J.Res. 59. On June 27, 2025, the Senate rejected the motion to discharge it from committee, 47 to 53 (Senate vote 328). Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to vote yes. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the only Democrat to vote no. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed a House version, H.Con.Res. 38, on June 17, 2025, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.); it did not get a vote that year.

What they said at the time, as quoted in news reports shared on Reddit (June 18, 2025 thread):

  • Massie: "The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn't attacked the United States. Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution."
  • Khanna: "No president should be able to bypass Congress's constitutional authority over matters of war. The American people do not want to be dragged into another disastrous conflict in the Middle East."
  • Fetterman, explaining his no vote, as the New York Times quoted him: he voted against the resolution "simply because I would never want to restrict any future president, Republican or Democrat, to do this kind of military exercise" (NYT excerpt quoted on Reddit, June 27, 2025).

After the strikes, Massie posted that "President Trump's strikes are unconstitutional and put Americans, especially our troops, at risk." The President answered that "Thomas Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes 'NO' on virtually everything," and launched a political effort to defeat him in the 2026 Kentucky primary (both quoted in a June 23, 2025 post). The price of opposing the war, for a Republican, was set early.

2026: House votes​

The current war began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026, according to NPR. The House then voted five times through July on concurrent resolutions, and again on September 15.

DateMeasure (sponsor)ResultRepublicans voting yesDemocrats voting no
Mar 5, 2026H.Con.Res. 38 (Massie)Failed 212-219Massie, DavidsonCuellar, Golden, Landsman, Vargas
Apr 16, 2026H.Con.Res. 40 (Meeks)Failed 213-214, 1 presentMassieGolden
May 14, 2026H.Con.Res. 75 (Gottheimer)Failed 212-212Barrett, Fitzpatrick, MassieGolden
Jun 3, 2026H.Con.Res. 86 (Meeks)Passed 215-208Barrett, Davidson, Fitzpatrick, Massienone
Jul 23, 2026H.Con.Res. 89 (Jayapal)Passed 214-208Barrett, Davidson, Fitzpatrick, Massienone
Sep 15, 2026War-powers resolution (Moulton); number not confirmedPassed 220-204Barrett, Davidson, Fitzpatrick, Massie, Mace, Miller-Meeks, Nunnnone reported

The Republicans named are Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Tom Barrett (Mich.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.). The Democrats named are Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Greg Landsman (Ohio), and Juan Vargas (Calif.). The Clerk's records also list Rep. Kevin Kiley of California as an independent voting no in April, May, June, and July.

Two of those votes were one vote from the other outcome: 213-214 in April and a 212-212 tie in May, which fails.

The September 15 vote is from news reports. Spectrum News reported that seven Republicans voted yes: Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Tom Barrett, Warren Davidson, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Thomas Massie. Fox News reported that the seven "joined all 213 voting Democrats," and that Rep. Kevin Kiley voted no (Fox News live page). The sponsor, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), said: "By the Trump Administration's own metrics, Iran is winning and America is losing. Tonight, Congress did its job under the Constitution and said enough is enough" (Moulton press release).

2026: Senate votes​

In the Senate, Democrats forced repeated votes to discharge Iran joint resolutions from the Foreign Relations Committee. All tallies below are from the Senate's 2026 roll-call list.

DateMeasureQuestionResult
Mar 4S.J.Res. 104 (Kaine)DischargeRejected 47-53
Mar 18S.J.Res. 118DischargeRejected 47-53
Mar 24S.J.Res. 116DischargeRejected 47-53
Apr 15S.J.Res. 123DischargeRejected 47-52
Apr 22S.J.Res. 114DischargeRejected 46-51
Apr 30S.J.Res. 184DischargeRejected 47-50
May 13S.J.Res. 163DischargeRejected 49-50
May 19S.J.Res. 185 (Kaine)DischargeAgreed 50-47
Jun 16S.J.Res. 172DischargeRejected 47-48
Jun 23H.Con.Res. 86AdoptAgreed 50-48
Jun 24S.J.Res. 185Motion to proceedRejected 47-50
Jul 23S.J.Res. 180DischargeRejected 47-49
Jul 30S.J.Res. 181 (Gillibrand)DischargeRejected 49-50
Sep 24H.Con.Res. 89AdoptRejected 49-50

Who crossed party lines, from the Senate's member-by-member records:

  • March 4 (vote 46): only Rand Paul among Republicans voted yes; John Fetterman voted no.
  • May 19 (vote 129): Republicans Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Rand Paul voted yes; Fetterman voted no.
  • June 23 (vote 184): the same four Republicans voted yes and Fetterman voted no. H.Con.Res. 86 was adopted 50 to 48. With the House vote on June 3, both chambers had now directed the President to remove forces from hostilities with Iran.
  • September 24 (vote 244): Collins, Murkowski, Paul, and Thom Tillis (N.C.) voted yes; Cassidy did not; Fetterman voted no. H.Con.Res. 89 failed 49 to 50. Had Fetterman voted yes, it would have passed 50 to 49. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who had called for the war to end, voted no; a Grabien clip is titled with his explanation: "We Have to Do It on Terms That Are Acceptable" (Grabien, September 26, 2026).

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, before the fifth Senate vote in April: "Senate Republicans cannot sit on the sidelines while our servicemembers are risking their lives on the frontlines. We will continue putting them on the record until the war ends or until enough of them find the courage to vote with us to end this war" (Schumer on X, April 20, 2026). Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), after the March 18 vote: "I just voted to END the war with Iran, but Republicans blocked our effort to stop this conflict. Why is there money for a war no one asked for, but no money for health care here at home?" (Murray on X).

What the administration told Congress​

The President did report to Congress. His War Powers letter of March 2, 2026, printed as House Document 119-139, "invoked four overlapping rationales: protection of US forces in the region, protection of the homeland, protection of vital interests including maritime commerce through the Strait of Hormuz, and collective self defense of regional allies including Israel," as one poster summarized it (Dan Linnaeus on X, April 2, 2026). The same post quotes CNN's March 2 report that "Pentagon briefers acknowledged to congressional staff in a briefing Sunday that Iran was not planning to strike US forces or bases in the Middle East unless Israel attacked Iran first."

After the House rejected the early-March resolution, the White House said: "Congress has reaffirmed the Commander-in-Chief's Constitutional authority to protect the American people from the Iranian regime's murderous ambitions and imminent threats." Speaker Johnson said passing it would have been "a very serious misstep by Congress," and added: "We are not at war. We have no intention of being at war. This is a limited operation" (BBC, March 6, 2026). BBC also reported that some Republicans "said that while they blocked the resolution for now, they could change course if the war expands or drags on." The war did both, and four Senate Republicans and seven House Republicans changed course.

On why Congress was not told in advance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted saying, "We have no way to notify 535 members of Congress" (as circulated on Threads, February 28, 2026). A former senior Pentagon official from Trump's first term, Mick Mulroy, was quoted on why the administration avoids the word war: "They cannot call it a war because they don't want to trigger the War Powers Act" (DannyKPolitics on X, April 25, 2026).

The clock. The 60-day limit ran out on or about May 1, 2026. PBS reported the administration then declared hostilities "terminated" because of a ceasefire. Two analysts' posts in July and September say that in July the President notified Congress that hostilities had resumed and treated that as the start of a new 60-day period (DOCTRINA RVBEA on X, July 19, 2026; AJ Signal on X, September 7, 2026). Rating MODERATE, from those posts. A lawyer's reply sums up the legal objection: "Congressional inaction is not the same thing as congressional authorization," because the statute says authority "cannot simply be inferred from appropriations, other legislation, or congressional silence" (post); see 50 U.S.C. 1547(a).

No authorization. In early May, a group of Senate Republicans was reported to be drafting an authorization for the use of force that "would likely restrict ground troops and set a limited window for hostilities" (Open Source Intel on X, May 4, 2026). On May 21, reporter Scott MacFarlane posted video of Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) reacting "when GOP pulled an Iran War authorization vote off the schedule" (MacFarlane on X). As of today, Congress has passed no Iran authorization. The war has run for seven months without one.

The power of the purse. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), asked about a reported $200 billion war funding request, said: "I do not intend to vote for any money to support this lawless effort," and asked, "What's going on with the ground troops that are moving over there?" (Grabien).

What happened after both chambers voted​

H.Con.Res. 86 is a concurrent resolution, so it never went to the President, and the war went on as if it had not passed. The record shows the war did not end: the House voted again on July 23, and the Senate again on July 30 and September 24, on resolutions to remove forces "from hostilities with Iran." Congress would not keep voting to end hostilities that had stopped.

President Trump's own reaction to the June 3 House vote, as quoted by NPR: "Yesterday, in a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran." He called the four Republicans "GRANDSTANDERS."

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended the war before the vote, as quoted by NPR: "Remember … Iran declared war on us 47 years ago. They chant 'death to America.' The president is trying to keep the people safe."

In their own words: why some members voted yes​

  • Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), as quoted by NPR: "We're past the 60 days, so you have two choices. You either follow the law or you change the law. You can't violate the law. That's not an option."
  • Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), as quoted by Roll Call on March 5, 2026, on Congress's duty: "That debate is meant to be arduous. And that vote is meant to be hard."
  • Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking Democrat on Armed Services, per the same Roll Call report: "I do not support the president's war of choice with Iran."
  • Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), before the first 2026 House vote: "I have asked for a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran. In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers resolution in the House next week. War requires Congressional authorization. There are actions short of war, but no case has been made" (Davidson on X). Later, in a statement quoted by the BBC: "President Trump's America First message was supposed to be a rejection of the globalist war machine."
  • Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), in February 2026: "Congress must vote on war according to our Constitution... I will vote to put America first which means voting against more war in the Middle East" (Massie on X).
  • Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.): "Americans don't want to send our troops into another costly, never-ending conflict in the Middle East" (Larson on X).
  • Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), an Iranian-American, as quoted by reporter Ryan Grim: "I have spent my entire life opposing the Islamic Republic and its brutality...At the same time, as an American congresswoman, who swore an oath to the United States Constitution, I am deeply concerned by President Trump's decision to launch an illegal war" (Ryan Grim on X, March 5, 2026).
  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), before the strikes: "The Constitution is clear: the president doesn't have the authority to start a war without Congress' approval. I won't support another endless war" (Warren on X).
  • Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), in a March 5, 2026 post on his official X account, explained why he switched from no to yes while still backing the goal of stopping an Iranian bomb: "The President of the United States has said it's a war. The Secretary of War has said it's a war. We don't have to try to wordsmith this for the American people. They know it's a war." And: "I will be voting in favor of the Massie-Khanna War Powers Resolution."

What opponents are pursuing next​

In September 2026, according to a detailed summary by a critics' account, Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing among other things that the war continued after "Congress literally voted (House June 3, Senate June 23) to order troops OUT" (Libertarians Against Trump on X, September 17, 2026). Those are allegations in a resolution; see The Hegseth Impeachment Articles. A constituent wrote that "Massie is right to force an impeachment vote on Hegseth" (post).

Why this matters for the draft​

The draft law and the war-powers votes meet at one point: a war large enough to need conscripts would be a war Congress had let grow without ever authorizing it. As of today, a majority of the House and, on its best day, a bare majority of the Senate have voted to end the Iran war. That is not enough to override a veto, and it is far from the two-thirds a joint resolution would need. If a draft bill ever came, the same members, and the same margins, would decide it.

Go deeper​

Status: Seth Moulton, Nancy Mace, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn, Jon Husted, Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, Marco Rubio, Mick Mulroy, Jim McGovern, Dan Goldman, John Larson, Yassamin Ansari, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Thomas Massie, Warren Davidson, Tom Barrett, Brian Fitzpatrick, Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Greg Landsman, Juan Vargas, Kevin Kiley, Gregory Meeks, Josh Gottheimer, Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, Jared Moskowitz, Ro Khanna, Tim Kaine, Kirsten Gillibrand, Rand Paul, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and John Fetterman are all alive.

What a citizen can check​

  • Look up your own representative on each House roll call above; the Clerk pages list every member's vote.
  • Look up your senators on Senate votes 46, 129, 184, and 244.
  • Ask them one direct question: if a bill to restore draft induction for this war reached the floor, how would you vote?

Sources​

Research captures: twitter/t46__v541.md, t46__v542.md, t46__v543.md, t46__v544.md, t46__v545.md, t46__v546.md, t46__v547.md, t46__v549.md, t46__v550.md, t46__v551.md, t46__v552.md, t47__v553.md, t47__v555.md, t47__v557.md, t47__v558.md, t47__v559.md, t47__v563.md, t14__v168.md

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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