H. Con. Res. 38 (119th)Bill Overview

Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

International Affairs|International Affairs
Cosponsors
Support
Lean Democratic
Introduced
Jun 17, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageFloor

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief

This concurrent resolution directs the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces in hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran unless Congress has declared war or provided a specific statutory authorization for use of force against Iran.

The text includes a rule of construction preserving the United States' right to defend itself from an imminent attack, and clarifies that nothing in the resolution is intended to interfere with intelligence collection, analysis, or intelligence-sharing with partners where the President determines it is appropriate for national security.

The resolution also states that it should not be construed as authorizing any use of military force.

Passage25/100

On content alone the bill is narrowly targeted and contains compromise features (self-defense and intelligence carve-outs), which help its chances. However, it tackles a high-salience, institutionally sensitive issue (constraining executive military action regarding Iran) and uses a congressional directive that historically provokes strong debate. Procedural and legal uncertainties about the appropriate vehicle and the political difficulty of securing a broad supermajority in the Senate make ultimate enactment unlikely absent unusually strong cross-branch or bipartisan momentum.

CredibilityPartially aligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this concurrent resolution is clear in purpose and legal grounding but sparse in operational and implementation detail.

Contention68/100

Whether the resolution appropriately restores Congress’s constitutional war-making role (liberal/centrist supportive) versus whether it improperly constrains executive flexibility and deterrence (conservative opposition).

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Who this appears to help vs burden50% / 50%
Federal agenciesLocal governments
Likely helped
  • Targeted stakeholdersAsserts Congressional control over declarations of war and could strengthen legislative oversight of major military act…
  • Targeted stakeholdersIf implemented, would reduce or end active U.S. combat operations against Iran, likely lowering near-term risk of U.S.…
  • Federal agenciesCould reduce or slow war-related federal expenditures and long-term obligations associated with continued hostilities (…
Likely burdened
  • Targeted stakeholdersCritics may argue removing forces could weaken deterrence against Iranian actions, potentially emboldening adversaries…
  • Targeted stakeholdersA mandated withdrawal or restriction on operations could disrupt ongoing military plans, logistics, and coalition opera…
  • Local governmentsPotential negative effects on defense contractors, local civilian employment tied to deployed support services, and ass…
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Whether the resolution appropriately restores Congress’s constitutional war-making role (liberal/centrist supportive) versus whether it improperly constrains executive flexibility and deterrence (conservative opposition…
Progressive90%

A mainstream liberal/left-leaning observer would generally view the resolution favorably as an effort to restore Congress’s constitutional war-declaring role and to constrain unilateral military engagement with Iran.

They would see it as a way to reduce the risk of escalation, avoid open-ended military commitments, and protect service members from unauthorized deployments.

The preservation of a self-defense exception and the intelligence-sharing carve-out would be noted as pragmatic safeguards, though some progressives might desire even stricter limits or clearer timelines for withdrawal.

Leans supportive
Centrist60%

A centrist/moderate would view the resolution as an effort to rebalance war-making authority toward Congress—an objective they often endorse in principle—but would be concerned about practical national-security and alliance implications.

They would appreciate the self-defense exception and intelligence-sharing clause as important safeguards but may want tighter definitions and procedural mechanisms to manage contingencies.

Centrists would weigh the constitutional and democratic benefits against potential risks to deterrence and operational flexibility and would look for amendments that reduce uncertainty and operational disruption.

Split reaction
Conservative20%

A mainstream conservative observer would likely oppose the resolution as an undue constraint on the President’s ability to act decisively to protect U.S. forces, interests, and allies.

They would view it as weakening deterrence vis-à-vis Iran and its proxies and as a legislative micromanagement of military operations.

Although it preserves a self-defense carve-out and intelligence-sharing language, conservatives would worry those exceptions are either too narrow in practice or leave unclear authority in crisis conditions.

Likely resistant
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Reached or meaningfully advanced

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood25/100

On content alone the bill is narrowly targeted and contains compromise features (self-defense and intelligence carve-outs), which help its chances. However, it tackles a high-salience, institutionally sensitive issue (constraining executive military action regarding Iran) and uses a congressional directive that historically provokes strong debate. Procedural and legal uncertainties about the appropriate vehicle and the political difficulty of securing a broad supermajority in the Senate make ultimate enactment unlikely absent unusually strong cross-branch or bipartisan momentum.

Scope and complexity
52%
Scopemoderate
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • Whether a concurrent resolution is the legally effective and politically acceptable vehicle for directing the President under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, or whether supporters would need to pursue a different statutory or joint-resolution approach.
  • The factual status and classification of any U.S. forces or activities described as 'hostilities' with respect to Iran — determinations about whether forces are presently engaged in hostilities could affect both legal applicability and political support.
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Whether the resolution appropriately restores Congress’s constitutional war-making role (liberal/centrist supportive) versus whether it imp…

On content alone the bill is narrowly targeted and contains compromise features (self-defense and intelligence carve-outs), which help its…

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this concurrent resolution is clear in purpose and legal grounding but sparse in operational and implementation detail.

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
Open full analysis