SJRES 59 — Congress 119
A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.
Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/59
Congress.gov subjects: International Affairs
Issues impacted: Defense & National Security (ai, high), Foreign Policy & Sanctions (ai, high)
Official bill text (stored)
Plain-text extraction from Congress.gov text formats. Canonical source remains the official URL above. Full text is prioritized for bills with roll-call votes.
119 SJ 59 IS: To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. U.S. Senate 2025-06-16 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IIA 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. J. RES. 59 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 16, 2025 Mr. Kaine introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JOINT RESOLUTION To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. 1. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Congress has the sole power to declare war under article I, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution. (2) The President has a constitutional responsibility to take actions to defend the United States, its territories, possessions, citizens, service members, and diplomats from attack. (3) Congress has not yet declared war upon, nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for use of military force against the Islamic Republic of Iran. (4) United States Armed Forces actions in support of military actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran constitute, within the meaning of section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution ( 50 U.S.C. 1543(a) ), either hostilities or a situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances into which United States Armed Forces have been introduced. (5) The question of whether United States forces should be engaged in hostilities against Iran should be answered following a full briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote as contemplated by the Constitution. (6) Section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 ( 50 U.S.C. 1546a ) provides that any joint resolution or bill to require the removal of United States Armed Forces engaged in hostilities without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization shall be considered in accordance with the expedited procedures of section 601(b) of the International Security and Arms Export Control Act of 1976. 2. Termination of the use of United States forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran (a) Termination Pursuant to section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 ( 50 U.S.C. 1546a ), and in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976, Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran. (b) Rule of construction Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack.
Plain-English summary
Confidence: high · Complexity: moderate · Model: grok-4.5
So this joint resolution is Congress saying: pull U.S. forces out of any fighting with Iran that we never voted to start.
The basic idea is simple. The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war, and Congress has not declared war on Iran or passed a specific “use of force” law aimed at Iran. This bill directs the President to end the use of U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities against Iran—or its government or military—unless Congress clearly authorizes it. It still lets the United States defend itself from an imminent attack.
Service members and their families would notice first if U.S. forces are already in or near Iran-related fighting. Anyone who cares how much say Congress gets before the country is in a conflict would notice too.
The bill is written to use special war-powers fast-track rules in the Senate, the kind that can force a quicker debate instead of letting it sit in committee forever.
Related issues
How a vote maps to positions
Impartial mapping: which issue position a Yea vs Nay advances. When a bill has multiple floor votes, each roll can have its own mapping. Bill-level entries (no roll listed) apply as a default when a roll has no specific map. Used for legislator alignment.
All rolls (bill default)
| Issue | Yea advances | Nay advances | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign Policy & Sanctions | Restraint and limited overseas commitments | Status quo / reject this change | Yea orders an end to unauthorized hostilities against Iran and insists on a congressional vote first; Nay rejects that mandate and leaves current practice in place. |
| Defense & National Security | Reduce defense outlays or scope | Status quo / reject this change | Yea narrows when U.S. forces may be used in Iran hostilities absent a new authorization; Nay keeps existing presidential flexibility on those operations. (Catalog fit is imperfect—substance is war powers, not topline budget.) |