SJRES 68 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

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.

Introduced Jan 9, 2020 Originated Senate Sponsor Tim Kaine D-VA

Latest action · May 7, 2020 Failed of passage in Senate over veto by Yea-Nay Vote. 49 - 44. Record Vote Number: 84.

Progress

Where this resolution reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJan 9, 2020
Passed SenateFeb 13, 2020
Passed HouseMar 11, 2020
To the PresidentMay 5, 2020
VetoedMay 6, 2020

Summary

This joint resolution directs the President to terminate the use of U.S. Armed Forces for hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized by a congressional declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.

Recorded votes 5

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll call	Question	Result	Date
Senate 84	On Overriding the Veto S.J.Res. 68	Veto Sustained49–44	May 7, 2020

House 101	On Passage	Passed227–186	Mar 11, 2020

House 100	On Motion to Commit with Instructions	Failed198–212	Mar 11, 2020

Senate 52	On the Joint Resolution S.J.Res. 68	Joint Resolution Passed55–45	Feb 13, 2020

Senate 45	On the Motion to Proceed S.J.Res. 68	Motion to Proceed Agreed to51–45	Feb 12, 2020

Cosponsors 31

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 9, 2020 to May 7, 2020; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-UT	Mike Lee	Original	Jan 9, 2020
R-KY	Rand Paul	Original	Jan 9, 2020
D-IL	Richard J. Durbin	Original	Jan 9, 2020
I-ME	Angus S. King Jr.		Jan 13, 2020
I-VT	Bernard Sanders		Jan 13, 2020
D-RI	Jack Reed		Jan 13, 2020
D-NY	Kirsten E. Gillibrand		Jan 13, 2020
D-HI	Mazie K. Hirono		Jan 13, 2020
D-HI	Brian Schatz		Jan 14, 2020
D-CA	Dianne Feinstein		Jan 14, 2020
D-AL	Doug Jones		Jan 14, 2020
D-MA	Edward J. Markey		Jan 14, 2020
D-OR	Jeff Merkley		Jan 14, 2020
R-ME	Susan M. Collins		Jan 14, 2020
D-IL	Tammy Duckworth		Jan 14, 2020

Show all 31 cosponsors

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
Senate	Foreign Relations Committee	Referred Jan 9, 2020Discharged Feb 12, 2020

Actions 30

Everything that happened, newest first.

May 7, 2020Veto Message considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S2299, S2305-2308, S2311-2313)
May 7, 2020Failed of passage in Senate over veto: Failed of passage in Senate over veto by Yea-Nay Vote. 49 - 44. Record Vote Number: 84.
May 6, 2020Veto message received in Senate. Ordered held at the desk. (text: CR S2286-2287)
May 6, 2020Vetoed by President.
May 5, 2020Presented to President.

Show all 30 actions

In the Congressional Record 10

Days the Record’s own index lists this resolution, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
Senate	Debate and remarks S2300, S2302, S2305, S2308, S2311–S2313Recorded votes S2313override veto	James M. Inhofe R-OK, Jeff Merkley D-OR, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Richard J. Durbin D-IL, Robert Menendez D-NJ, Tim Kaine D-VA, Tom Udall D-NM	May 7, 2020
Senate	Messages S2286, S2296Veto of S.J. Res. 68, Armed Forces Removal From Unauthorized Hostilities Against Iran: President Trump	—	May 6, 2020
House	Debate and remarks H1599–H1613, H1615–H1622, H1637–H1640Text printed H1599, H1616Amendments H1612Motions H1637Recorded votes H1612, H1613, H1639consideration (H. Res. 891), previous questionMcCaul motion to commit (tribute to U.S. intelligence and military mission leading to death of Qasem Soleimani in Iraq)	Barbara Lee D-CA, Debbie Lesko R-AZ (amendment), Denver Riggleman R-VA, Eliot L. Engel D-NY, Gerald E. Connolly D-VA, Ilhan Omar D-MN, James P. McGovern D-MA, Kevin McCarthy R-CA, Lee M. Zeldin R-NY, Michael T. McCaul R-TX (motion), Michael Waltz R-FL, Mike Rogers R-AL, Pramila Jayapal D-WA, Rob Woodall R-GA, Seth Moulton D-MA, Steny H. Hoyer D-MD, Tom Cole R-OK	Mar 11, 2020
Senate	Debate and remarks S1621	Robert Menendez D-NJ	Mar 9, 2020
House	Debate and remarks H1520	Steny H. Hoyer D-MD	Mar 5, 2020

Show all 10 days

Research

What has been written about this resolution: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

CRS reports 6

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this resolution or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 6

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Product	Title	Kind	Published
R47603	War Powers Resolution: Expedited Procedures in the House and Senate	Report	Jun 24, 2025
R47321	Iran: Background and U.S. Policy	Report	May 22, 2025
R48524	Congress and the Scope of the President’s Article II Foreign Policy Authorities	Report	May 2, 2025
RS21255	Motions to Proceed to Consider Measures in the Senate: Who Offers Them?	Report	Oct 3, 2024
R45795	U.S.-Iran Conflict and Implications for U.S. Policy Archived	Report	May 8, 2020

Show all 6 CRS products

Amendments 25

Amendments offered to this resolution.

Amendment	Description	Offered by	Status
SA 1299	To provide that nothing in the resolution shall be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself from attack.	Mitch McConnell R-KY	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1300	To provide that nothing in the resolution shall be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself from attack.	Mitch McConnell R-KY	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1301	To amend the findings.	Ted Cruz R-TX	Amendment SA 1301 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 64 - 34. Record Vote Number: 46.
SA 1302	To amend the findings.	Ted Cruz R-TX	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1303	To provide that nothing in the resolution may be construed as restricting missions related to force protection of United States aircraft, ships, or personnel.	Ted Cruz R-TX	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1304	To provide that, consistent with section 8(d) of the War Powers Resolution, nothing in the resolution shall be construed as altering the constitutional authority of Congress or the President or the provisions of existing treaties.	David Perdue R-GA	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1305	To exempt from the termination requirement United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at designated terrorist organizations.	Tom Cotton R-AR	Motion to table amendment SA 1305 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 54 - 46. Record Vote Number: 48.
SA 1306	To provide that nothing shall be construed as influencing or disrupting any military operations and cooperation with Israel.	Tom Cotton R-AR	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1307	To provide that nothing shall be construed as preventing the United States from defending itself against attacks by Iranian-controlled proxies and militia groups.	Tom Cotton R-AR	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1308	To provide that nothing shall be construed as preventing the United States from defending itself against attacks by ballistic and cruise missiles, rockets, unmanned aerial systems, and improvised explosive devices.	Tom Cotton R-AR	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1309	To provide that nothing in the resolution shall be construed as preventing the United States from defending itself, including its territories, citizens, troops, personnel, military bases, and diplomatic facilities, from attack.	Mike Rounds R-SD	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1310	To amend the findings.	Marco Rubio R-FL	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1311	To amend the findings.	Marco Rubio R-FL	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1312	To provide that nothing in the resolution shall be construed as preventing the United States from defending itself, including acting to prevent or preempt an attack.	Dan Sullivan R-AK	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1313	To include a finding regarding the Quds Force and to remove the termination requirement.	John Kennedy R-LA	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1314	To amend the findings.	James E. Risch R-ID	Amendment SA 1314 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 93 - 7. Record Vote Number: 49.
SA 1315	To emphasize that the United States strike against terrorist leader Qasem Suleimani to protect the lives of United States service members and diplomats is lesser in scope, nature, and duration than, and consistent with, previous administrations' exercises of war powers.	James E. Risch R-ID	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1316	To provide that nothing in the resolution may be construed as preventing the President from employing all the instruments of national power, including military force, to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.	Ron Johnson R-WI	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1317	To provide that nothing in the resolution shall be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself against the threat of an attack posed by the acquisition of a nuclear weapon by the Islamic Republic of Iran.	Ron Johnson R-WI	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1318	To provide that nothing in the resolution shall be construed as preventing the United States from defending its allies, including Israel.	Ron Johnson R-WI	Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SA 1319	To amend the rule of construction.	Dan Sullivan R-AK	Motion to table amendment SA 1319 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 49. Record Vote Number: 51.
SA 1320	To amend the findings.	Marco Rubio R-FL	Motion to table amendment SA 1320 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 54 - 46. Record Vote Number: 50.
SA 1321	No description on file	Joe Manchin III D-WV	Senate amendment submitted
SA 1322	To amend the findings.	Jack Reed D-RI	Amendment SA 1322 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 99 - 0. Record Vote Number: 47.
SA 1324	No description on file	Tim Kaine D-VA	Senate amendment submitted

Related bills 4

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
SJRES 63	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.	Related bill	Jan 3, 2020
SJRES 69	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.	Related bill	Jan 16, 2020
HJRES 82	Direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.	Related bill	Jan 7, 2020
HRES 891	Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 68) to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress; providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2486) to reauthorize mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6172) to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to prohibit the production of certain business records, and for other purposes; and for other purposes.	Related bill	Mar 11, 2020

Titles 1

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: 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.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this resolution on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.