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Members of Congress Who Opposed a Ground War or a Draft for Iran

Evidence rating: CONFIRMED for votes, from House Clerk and Senate roll calls. STRONG for statements, from members' own posts and news reports, each linked on the pages below.

If a bill to restore the draft ever reaches the floor, the members who have already voted to stop this war are the ones most likely to vote no. This page is a guide to them, and to the members on the other side. It is organized so a parent can find a name, read what that member said, and see how he or she voted.

Who they are, in one paragraph​

Opposition to the Iran war in Congress comes from two directions that rarely agree on anything. On the right: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who said in June 2025 that "The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war," Rep. Warren Davidson, and Sen. Rand Paul, who co-wrote the bill to abolish the draft system. On the left: Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Chris Murphy, and most Democrats. Between them, a small group of Republicans who crossed once the war passed its legal 60-day limit: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Barrett, later Nancy Mace and two Iowans, and Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy, and Thom Tillis. On the other side of nearly every roll call stood most Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman.

Members' pages​

Against the ground war​

No member of Congress in our research has introduced a bill to draft Americans for Iran. The clearest opposition to a ground war came in members' own words:

  • Rep. Jason Crow: "What's the strategy? Will there be boots on the ground? Does Donald Trump want regime change in Iran? ... Congress must be involved in any decision sending us to war" (Facebook reel).
  • Rep. John Larson: "Americans don't want to send our troops into another costly, never-ending conflict in the Middle East" (post).
  • Rep. Greg Casar: "My entire adult life, politicians have been sending other people's kids — our U.S. troops — to die in reckless, endless wars. Enough" (post).
  • Rep. Dan Goldman, refusing war funding: "What's going on with the ground troops that are moving over there?" (Grabien).
  • Sen. Chris Murphy: "There is practically no way we can destroy their nuclear program... unless we launch a ground invasion" (as relayed; see his page).
  • Even a group of Senate Republicans drafting an authorization for the war was reported in May 2026 to be writing it to "restrict ground troops and set a limited window for hostilities" (Open Source Intel on X). It was pulled from the schedule.

Against the draft​

On the draft itself, the record is thinner, and that is part of the story: the law making registration automatic passed inside a defense bill with no separate vote.

  • Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Ron Wyden, and Sen. Cynthia Lummis introduced S. 4537 on May 14, 2026 to repeal the Military Selective Service Act (Congress.gov). See Bills to Abolish Selective Service.
  • The 20 senators and 112 House members who voted against the FY2026 defense bill, including Paul, Mike Lee, Bernie Sanders, and Wyden, voted against the bill that carried automatic registration, though for many reasons.
  • Former Rep. Matt Rosendale "was one of the only people to vote against" automatic registration in 2024, according to the Montana Libertarian Party (post).
  • Sen. Josh Hawley: "I'm not voting for any defense bill that forces my daughter to register for the draft. Not now, not ever" (post, June 15, 2024). He voted for the 2025 bill that registers sons automatically; see Registering Women.
  • Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, July 25, 2026: "Don't draft our kids for your stupid world war 3," according to an X summary (X trend page).

The price of opposition​

The members who opposed the war paid for it. When Massie called the June 2025 strikes unconstitutional, the President answered that he "is weak, ineffective," "not MAGA," and launched "Kentucky MAGA" to defeat him (Donnie Cope on X). After the June 2026 vote, the President called the four House Republicans "GRANDSTANDERS" (NPR). Online, Massie was called "a traitor" who "should register as a Democrat" (post), and a veteran said members who called the strikes unconstitutional "should be arrested and tried for treason" (post, November 20, 2025). Even Democrats faced pressure from their own leadership: in February 2026, "Top Democrats are working behind the scenes to stop a vote on the Khanna-Massie Iran war powers resolution" (X trend page), and in March, House Democrats did not force a vote "partly due to concerns they lacked sufficient support" (Open Source Intel on X).

Members watch what happens to colleagues. A draft vote would be taken by a Congress that has learned opposing this war is expensive.

What a parent can ask​

Ask your representative and senators two questions, and write down the answers. First: how did you vote on each Iran war-powers resolution? The roll calls are linked on The Iran War-Powers Votes. Second: if a bill to restore draft induction for this war reached the floor, would you vote for it? The Senate switchboard is (202) 224-3121, as organizers circulated it (Jon Bowne on X; Hometown Holler call script).

Status: Every member of Congress named on this page is alive, as are Donald Trump and the posters quoted. This page reports votes and public statements.

Sources​

Research captures: twitter/t47__v553.md through t47__v564.md, t46__v541.md, t46__v551.md

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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