Iran War Powers Resolution (S.J.Res. 181)
Would direct the President to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or specifically authorizes force.
The Senate rejected a motion to discharge S.J.Res. 181 from the Foreign Relations Committee on July 30, 2026, by a vote of 49 to 50. This action did not decide passage of the resolution.
Part of Senate Votes on Iran War Powers, with how every senator voted on 15 related roll calls.
Status
introduced
Apr 13, 2026
Recorded actions
1
Complete roll calls
Origin
senate
119th Congress
Public law
Not enacted
No enactment date
How the Senate voted
Each roll call below links to the complete list of how every senator voted, with the official question and source.
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· Senate roll call 216
Advancing an Iran War Powers Resolution
Discharge S.J.Res. 181, an Iran war powers resolution, from the Foreign Relations Committee
Motion to Discharge Rejected · 49 yea, 50 nay, 1 not voting
What the text provides
Summaries of provisions visible in the cited measure text, with the exact location to check.
Direction to remove forces
Section 2(a) would direct the President, under section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985, to remove U.S. 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.
Section 2(a) · Source record
Rules of construction
Section 2(b) states that the resolution does not prevent the United States from defending against attacks on the United States or its personnel or facilities abroad, sharing intelligence about threats from Iran or its proxies, or helping Israel and other partners attacked by Iran since February 28, 2026 defend against retaliatory attacks, including with defensive materiel.
Section 2(b)(1) through (3) · Source record
Findings
Section 1 states findings on Congress's power to declare war, the absence of a declaration of war or specific authorization for force against Iran, the military operation that began on February 28, 2026, and the expedited procedures that apply to the resolution.
Section 1, paragraphs (1) through (12) · Source record
How this text differs from S.J.Res. 180
Compared with S.J.Res. 180, an earlier measure in this vote series with a Senate roll call on Jul 23, 2026. Locations refer to S.J.Res. 181.
The direction to the President uses the same words as S.J.Res. 180. S.J.Res. 181 adds findings on the Strait of Hormuz, energy and food effects, and the April 2026 ceasefire, names Israel in its exceptions, and has no exception for the evacuation of U.S. citizens.
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Section 1, paragraphs (5) and (6)
Adds findings on the Strait of Hormuz: warnings to shipping by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the first strikes, a drop in maritime traffic, a March 27, 2026 announcement closing the Strait to vessels going to and from U.S., Israeli, and allied ports, oil prices above $100 per barrel by March 8, 2026, and a World Food Programme projection that 45,000,000 more people could face food insecurity if the conflict continues.
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Section 1, paragraphs (7) and (8)
Adds findings on the President's April 7, 2026 deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait, the two-week ceasefire agreed that day, the President's statements of April 7 and 8, 2026, and a finding that no request for a declaration of war or an authorization for use of military force had been submitted to Congress.
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Section 1, paragraphs (9) and (10)
Finds that more than 50,000 U.S. service members had participated, that about 2,000 soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division deployed in March, and that as of April 8, 2026, seven service members had been killed in combat, six crew members of a KC-135 had died in a crash in western Iraq, and 381 had been wounded. S.J.Res. 180 found 13 killed and 380 wounded as of that date.
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Section 1
Does not include S.J.Res. 180's findings on the President's responsibility to defend against attack or the March 2, 2026 notification.
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Section 2(b)(2) and (3)
The intelligence and defensive-assistance exceptions name Israel alongside partner countries attacked by Iran since February 28, 2026. The defensive-assistance exception covers directly defending against retaliatory attacks upon their territories.
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Section 2(b)(1) through (3)
Has three exceptions. It has no exception for the evacuation of U.S. citizens.
Texts compared: S.J.Res. 181 as introduced: Iran war powers · S.J.Res. 180 as introduced: Iran war powers
Statements on related topics from the same weeks
Statements that share a topic with this measure and were made within 30 days of one of its votes. They are not described as statements about this measure.
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Tim Sheehy on Opposing an Iran War Powers Resolution
“We didn’t start this war. We did not, but we will finish it.”
Sources for this record
How to read this record
Use each official roll call to verify the exact action and every recorded member position. Use the cited measure text to verify the provision summaries. A vote does not establish a legislator's motive or support for every provision in a multi-subject measure.