SenateS.J.Res. 117119th Congress
A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 117 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. J. RES. 117
To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities
within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been
authorized by Congress.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 5, 2026
Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Booker)
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
within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been
authorized by Congress.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 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, its
possessions, citizens, service members, and diplomats from
attack.
(3) Congress has not declared war upon Iran or any person
or organization within Iran, nor enacted a specific statutory
authorization for the use of military force within or against
Iran.
(4) President Donald J. Trump and senior executive branch
officials have repeatedly referred to the existence of a state
of ``war'', including--
(A) President Trump on February 28, 2026, stating,
``The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost,
and we may have casualties. That often happens in
war.'';
(B) President Trump on March 4, 2026, stating, ``We
are doing very well on the warfront, to put it mildly,
I would say.'';
(C) Secretary of Defense Hegseth on March 4, 2026,
stating ``The terms of this war will be set by us at
every step.''; and
(D) Secretary of State Rubio on March 3, 2026,
stating, ``As of a few minutes ago, before I left,
9,000 Americans have been able to leave the region
since the start of this war.''.
(5) The President notified Congress on March 2, 2026,
pursuant to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, of the
initiation of military force against Iran on February 28, 2026.
The notification stated that ``it is not possible at this time
to know the full scope and duration of military operations that
may be necessary. As such, United States forces remain postured
to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to
address further threats and attacks upon the United States or
its allies and partners, and ensure the Government of the
Islamic Republic of Iran ceases being a threat to the United
States, its allies, and the international community.''.
(6) The President and the Secretary of Defense have
publicly acknowledged the possibility of using ground forces in
Iran, including--
(A) President Trump, stating on March 2, 2026, ``I
don't have the yips with respect to boots on the
ground--like every president says, `There will be no
boots on the ground.' I don't say it. I say `probably
don't need them,' [or] `if they were necessary'.''; and
(B) Secretary Hegseth, responding on March 2, 2026,
to whether ``there [are] currently any American boots
on the ground in Iran?'' by stating, ``No, but we are
not going to go into the exercise of what we will or
will not do.''.
(7) As of March 5, 2026, six United States servicemembers
have been killed and at least 18 servicemembers have been
wounded.
(8) On March 2, 2026, an official account of the Department
of State posted a social media message that urged Americans to
``DEPART NOW'' and evacuate from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq,
Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and
Yemen. The United States embassies in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and
Lebanon closed, as of March 5, 2026, amid drone strikes, and
the embassies in Kuwait City and Riyadh were attacked directly.
(9) The use of military force within or against Iran
constitutes the introduction of United States Armed Forces into
hostilities within the meaning of section 4(a) of the War
Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1543(a)).
(10) 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 requiring the removal of United
States Armed Forces from imminent engagement in hostilities
without a declaration of war or specific statutory
authorization shall be considered in accordance with the
expedited procedures under section 601(b) of the International
Security and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-
329).
SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES WITHIN
OR AGAINST IRAN.
(a) Removal.--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 section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance
and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-329), Congress
hereby directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces
from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized
by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military
force.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to prevent the United States from--
(1) defending against an attack on the United States or its
personnel or facilities in other nations;
(2) collecting, analyzing, or sharing intelligence,
including with the State of Israel and United States partners
and allies, and international organizations as appropriate,
related to defending against threats from Iran or its proxies;
(3) assisting Israel and other nations--
(A) in taking defensive measures to protect their
territory from retaliatory attacks by Iran or its
proxies; or
(B) by providing defensive materiel support for
such defensive measures; or
(4) providing assistance for the security, departure, and
evacuation to United States citizens affected by the
hostilities.
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