Senate rejects resolution to pull U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, 49-50
The U.S. Senate on September 24, 2026, rejected a resolution that would have directed the President to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, defeating the measure by a vote of 49 to 50.
The measure, H.Con.Res. 89, is a concurrent resolution directing the President, under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly authorizes the action through a declaration of war or a specific authorization for the use of military force. The resolution includes provisions stating that it would not prevent the United States from defending itself, its forces, or allied states from imminent attack, and would not disrupt intelligence-sharing activities. The House of Representatives had passed the resolution in July 2026, sending it to the Senate.
In floor debate on these War Powers measures, senators who supported ending the military action argued that the Constitution vests the power to declare war in Congress and that the President had not obtained authorization for the conflict. Senator Chris Van Hollen said the framers "deliberately vested the power to declare war in Congress" and called on colleagues who believed the war was justified to bring an authorization for the use of military force to the floor. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, "Trump got America into this mess in Iran, and he has made it clear he is both unwilling and unable to get us out," and urged Republicans to join in ending the war. Supporters also pointed to American servicemember deaths, rising gas prices, and disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as costs of the conflict.
Senators who opposed the resolution argued that Iran, not the United States, had initiated and sustained the conflict. Senator Tim Sheehy said the war was "a war of choice that was begun by a radical, lunatic band of terrorists" and pointed to decades of Iranian attacks on Americans, saying, "We didn't start this war. We did not. But we will finish it." Opponents in the House debate on companion measures similarly argued that the resolution would undercut a defensive mission and cited Iran's stated pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
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