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Congress Votes, June 2025: 47 to 53

Evidence rating: CONFIRMED. Vote totals are from CBS, CNN, The Hill and Axios.

Congress never voted on whether to go to war with Iran. It voted afterward, on whether to stop. This page lists what happened, and who stood where.

Before the strike​

  • June 10. At a House Armed Services hearing, Chairman Mike Rogers asked CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla whether he was prepared "to respond with overwhelming force to prevent a nuclear armed Iran." Kurilla: "I have provided the Secretary of Defense and the President a wide range of options" (as quoted in the research captures).
  • June 17. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): "This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution" (forum copy of his post). He and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced a bipartisan resolution to bar hostilities with Iran without authorization (Massie press release).

After the strike​

DateChamberMeasureResult
June 24HouseRep. Al Green's articles of impeachment over "his illegal and unconstitutional war with Iran"Tabled 344 to 79; 128 Democrats, including party leaders, voted with Republicans (The Hill)
June 24HouseMassie–Khanna resolutionNot forced to a vote after the ceasefire; Massie: "If there's a ceasefire, we don't need to withdraw from a war" (Axios)
June 27SenateSen. Tim Kaine's resolution barring further hostilities without authorizationFailed 47 to 53; Rand Paul the only Republican in favor, John Fetterman the only Democrat against (CBS News; CNN)

Voices from Congress​

  • Sen. Chris Murphy: "Last week, I was briefed that Iran posed no imminent threat and wasn't close to building a nuclear weapon, and that the negotiations Israel disrupted could have succeeded" (as quoted in a compilation by @lamps_apple).
  • Rep. Ted Lieu: "Our military has no control over how deep the bombs penetrated, nor whether enriched uranium was stored at the target sites" (Lieu, June 29, 2025).
  • Sen. Mark Warner, June 17: "I've seen nothing in recent intelligence that contradicts what Director Gabbard said" (AP).

What came after​

Massie, the Republican who led the push to make Congress decide, lost his Kentucky primary in May 2026 to an opponent backed by Trump and, in one summary's words, "pro-Israel billionaires" (EIR via @ZeppLaRouche). In 2026, both chambers finally passed a non-binding concurrent resolution directing the President to remove forces; the White House ignored it. See Cost and War Powers. Who funded and lobbied Congress is on Who Pushed the Iran War.

Status: Thomas Massie, Ro Khanna, Al Green, Tim Kaine, Rand Paul, John Fetterman, Chris Murphy, Ted Lieu, Mark Warner, Mike Rogers and Michael Kurilla are alive, as far as these sources show.

Sources​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26