III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 33 

Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution 

to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 9, 2020 

Mr. UDALL submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War 

Powers Resolution to terminate the use of United States 

Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran. 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. TERMINATION OF USE OF UNITED STATES 

4 ARMED FORCES TO ENGAGE IN HOSTILITIES 

5 IN OR AGAINST IRAN. 

6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find7 ings: 

8 (1) The Government of Iran is a leading state 

9 sponsor of terrorism and engages in a range of deVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:45 Jan 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SC33.IS SC33

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•SCON 33 IS 

1 stabilizing activities across the Middle East. Iranian 

2 General Qassem Soleimani was the lead architect of 

3 much of Iran’s destabilizing activities throughout the 

4 world. 

5 (2) The United States has an inherent right to 

6 self-defense against imminent armed attacks. The 

7 United States maintains the right to ensure the 

8 safety of diplomatic personnel serving abroad. 

9 (3) In matters of imminent armed attacks, the 

10 executive branch should indicate to Congress why 

11 military action was necessary within a certain win12 dow of opportunity, the possible harm that missing 

13 the window would cause, and why the action was 

14 likely to prevent future disastrous attacks against 

15 the United States. 

16 (4) The United States has national interests in 

17 preserving its partnership with Iraq and other coun18 tries in the region, including by— 

19 (A) combating terrorists, including the Is20 lamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); 

21 (B) preventing Iran from achieving a nu22 clear weapons capability; and 

23 (C) supporting the people of Iraq, Iran, 

24 and other countries throughout the Middle East 


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1 who demand an end to government corruption 

2 and violations of basic human rights. 

3 (5) Over the past eight months, in response to 

4 rising tensions with Iran, the United States has in5 troduced over 15,000 additional forces into the Mid6 dle East. 

7 (6) When the United States uses military force, 

8 the American people and members of the United 

9 States Armed Forces deserve a credible explanation 

10 regarding such use of military force. 

11 (7) The War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 

12 1541 et seq.) requires the President to consult with 

13 Congress ‘‘in every possible instance’’ before intro14 ducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities. 

15 (8) Congress has not authorized the President 

16 to use military force against Iran. 

17 (b) TERMINATION.—Pursuant to section 5(c) of the 

18 War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress 

19 hereby directs the President to terminate the use of 

20 United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or 

21 against Iran or any part of its government or military, 

22 unless— 

23 (1) Congress has declared war or enacted spe24 cific statutory authorization for such use of the 

25 Armed Forces; or 


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1 (2) such use of the Armed Forces is necessary 

2 and appropriate to defend against an imminent 

3 armed attack upon the United States, its territories 

4 or possessions, or its Armed Forces, consistent with 

5 the requirements of the War Powers Resolution. 

6 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec7 tion may be construed— 

8 (1) to prevent the President from using military 

9 force against al Qaeda or associated forces; 

10 (2) to limit the obligations of the executive 

11 branch set forth in the War Powers Resolution (50 

12 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.); 

13 (3) to affect the provisions of an Act or joint 

14 resolution of Congress specifically authorizing the 

15 use of United States Armed Forces to engage in 

16 hostilities against Iran or any part of its government 

17 or military that is enacted after the date of the 

18 adoption of this concurrent resolution; 

19 (4) to prevent the use of necessary and appro20 priate military force to defend United States allies 

21 and partners if authorized by Congress consistent 

22 with the requirements of the War Powers Resolu23 tion; or 

24 (5) to authorize the use of military force. 

Æ 


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