Foreign Policy and Defense

Who decides on military action

106 public statements from 2026 candidates · 1 related bill

§1The range of views

Why this matters: This decides whether the president alone or a vote of Congress can commit the country to a military conflict.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether the president can order military strikes or send troops into combat without approval from Congress, which has the power to declare war; a 1973 law says the president must end combat Congress hasn't approved within 60 days, with up to 30 more days only if needed to withdraw troops safely.1,2

  1. Let the president order military action without needing Congress's approval
  2. Let the president act first, but enforce the 60-day limit and end any action Congress doesn't approve
  3. Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Let the president act first, but enforce the 60-day limit and end any action Congress doesn't approve (3)

  • Ralph Groves FL-11
    His campaign website says he would work to make sure presidents send U.S. forces overseas only to defend the United States and for no more than 60 days unless Congress authorizes a longer period.3
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says he would enforce the War Powers Resolution so that no president can take the United States into a prolonged conflict without congressional approval.4
  • Robbie Mahrou NH-2
    His campaign website lists enforcing the War Powers Resolution so that sustained military action requires explicit approval from Congress, and repealing the 2001 authorization for use of military force and other broad, open-ended war authorizations.5

Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack (60)

  • Amanda N. Pusczek AL-4
    Her campaign website says she supports repealing the 2001 and 2002 war authorizations and requiring a recorded vote of Congress on a specific, time-limited authorization for any deployment into hostilities.6
  • Robb Ryerse AR-3
    His campaign website says Congress is supposed to decide when the country goes to war and calls for restoring Congress's authority over military action.7,8
  • Mike McGuire CA-1
    His campaign website says no president should be able to take the country to war without congressional authorization and that he would work to reassert Congress's war powers.9
  • Eric Jones CA-4
    His campaign website says there should be no new wars without a vote of Congress and no military aid to any country without an up-or-down vote in Congress, with conditions on all aid.10,11
  • Tom McClintock CA-5
    His campaign website says the Constitution requires Congress to declare war before U.S. troops are placed in harm's way.12
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says military force is a last resort that requires explicit authorization from Congress, and that he would oppose future strikes on Iran without it.13
  • Adam Gray CA-13
    His campaign website says Congress has the responsibility to declare war, and that he voted for a War Powers Resolution that would have directed the president to end military action in Iran unless war was declared, force was authorized or the action was in self-defense.14
  • Aisha Wahab CA-14
    Her campaign website says Congress has the responsibility to debate and authorize war, that no president should have unlimited authority to commit troops, and that unauthorized air campaigns should stop.15
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website lists war powers resolutions he led on Yemen, Iran and Venezuela, says he introduced a bill to bar unauthorized hostilities in Iran, and says he called a U.S. strike on Iran unconstitutional.16,17
  • Angela Gonzales-Torres CA-34
    Her campaign website supports repealing the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force so that no president can send troops to war without a vote of Congress.18
  • Gaylon Kent CO-2
    His campaign website says he opposes all wars that have not been declared by Congress, as the Constitution requires.19,20
  • Patty McMahon CO-6
    Her campaign website says the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, objects to presidents taking military action without formal approval, and says war should be a last resort that is clearly justified and constitutionally authorized.21
  • Angie Nixon FL Senate special
    Her campaign website says she would enforce the War Powers Act so that every member of Congress has to vote on the record before US troops are sent into combat.22
  • Mike Klein FL-3
    His campaign website says the Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to declare war, that this responsibility has too often been ignored, and that war should be a last resort; it says he opposed the Iraq War because the constitutional standard for sending Americans into combat had not been met.23,24
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for repealing the 2001 and 2002 war authorizations and replacing them with limited ones, and says there should be no sustained military engagement or unilateral strikes without a vote of Congress.25
  • Kimberly Overman FL-12
    Her campaign platform says she supports requiring congressional authorization for military action.26
  • Brian Lambert FL-14
    His campaign website says Congress should carry out its constitutional duty when it authorizes the use of military force and that he would defend Congress's role in decisions about war.27
  • Kelly Kirschner FL-16
    His campaign website says only Congress has the constitutional power to declare war, that wars of choice require full public debate in Congress, and that he is against blank checks for any military action lacking congressional authorization.28,29
  • Matthew Montavon FL-17
    His campaign website says Congress alone has the authority to declare war and to decide whether to fund wars, and that it needs to reassert its constitutional role in foreign affairs.30
  • Michael J. Quirk FL-17
    His campaign website says Congress should debate and vote before Americans fight or fund a war, with no sustained conflict without congressional authorization.31
  • Seth Haskin FL-19
    His campaign website says he will work to bring back Congress's constitutional authority over war and insist on clear congressional authorization before Americans are committed to hostilities.32
  • Brian Mast FL-21
    His campaign website says Congress should reclaim its constitutional authority to declare war and to set specific objectives abroad, and that what it calls America's endless wars should end.33
  • Nicole Locklin FL-26
    Her campaign website says the Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress rather than the President, and that she will not support another unnecessary or unauthorized war.34,35
  • Dean Ocean Abrams FL Governor
    His campaign website says Congress should vote before any military action.36
  • Thomas Laehn IA Senate
    His campaign website says he would work to bring troops home and to block wars started by presidents without the consent of Congress.37
  • Todd Achilles ID Senate
    His campaign website says he would work to reassert Congress's constitutional authority so troops are not sent into combat without its explicit authorization.38
  • Matt Loesby ID Senate
    His campaign website says no US troops should be deployed outside US territory unless Congress declares war.39
  • Pro-Life ID Governor
    His campaign website says presidents have waged wars that Congress never declared, which it calls unconstitutional, and faults Congress for allowing them.40
  • Delia Ramirez IL-3
    Her campaign website says she advocates for Congress to reassert its constitutional right to declare war.41
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he will work to sunset outdated authorizations for use of military force and require congressional approval for future military actions.42
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says no American troops should deploy without a clear mission, cost and exit plan voted on by Congress.43
  • Kelly Thompson IN-3
    Her campaign website says she would repeal outdated war authorizations and require Congress to vote before the United States enters sustained military conflicts overseas, while keeping emergency action to defend Americans from an imminent attack possible.44
  • Brad A. Meyer IN-9
    His campaign website says Congress should exercise its power to decide when and if war is necessary, and that the use of force should always be a last resort.45,46
  • David C Graham KS Senate
    His campaign website says Congress should vote first, on the record, before the United States goes to war.47
  • Drew Cranmer KS-4
    His campaign website says the power to take the nation to war belongs to Congress, that the military conflicts since 1941 were waged under executive authority the Constitution never granted, and that there should be no more undeclared wars or blank-check authorizations.48
  • Gerardo Serrano KY-5
    His campaign website says Congress, not a militia or any one president, must decide whether America goes to war, and that Congress must hold a recorded vote, define victory, disclose the cost and explain when troops come home; it says he would vote no on continuing an unauthorized war without a clear end.49
  • Pete Lynch KY-6
    His campaign website says he supports amending the War Powers Resolution so that only Congress can decide whether to go to war or begin new military engagements.50
  • Lauren Jewett LA-1
    Her campaign website says she supports restoring war powers oversight so that Congress votes before the country is involved in wars, saying the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war.51,52
  • "Matt" Gromlich LA-4
    His campaign website says the Iran war is unconstitutional because Congress, which has the authority to declare war, has not done so in this case.53
  • Thomas Stalcup MA-4
    His campaign website says Congress must fully exercise its constitutional responsibility before authorizing the use of force and that war must always be a last resort.54
  • Jim Bronke MI-5
    His campaign website says the Constitution gives only Congress the power to declare war, that an international agreement the country signs becomes the law of the land, and that the country should abstain from war against another nation if the United Nations Security Council does not approve.55
  • Fred Wellman MO-2
    His campaign website says Congress must take back its constitutional role in decisions of war and peace and that military force should not be used without legal authority.56
  • Scott Colom MS Senate
    His campaign website says he would require a vote of Congress before the country goes to war.57
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website says Congress must use its authority to declare war before troops are committed to combat, and supports a War Powers Resolution vote on the conflict with Iran.58
  • Shannon W. Bray NC Senate
    His campaign website supports requiring congressional authorization for military action and ending undeclared wars.59
  • Guy Meilleur NC-4
    His campaign website says sending U.S. troops into combat overseas without a declaration of war from Congress is unconstitutional, and proposes restricting overseas deployment of North Carolina National Guard units unless Congress has declared war.60
  • Colby Watson NC-8
    His campaign website's Foreign Policy page says that if the country goes to war, Congress should debate and vote on it, and that he wants to give Congress more say over war powers and to repeal old war authorizations.61
  • Jack Codiga NC-12
    His platform page says military action should need authorization from Congress, with an exception for urgent situations that call for an immediate response from the executive branch.62
  • Chris Backemeyer NE-1
    His campaign website says he supports reasserting Congress's war powers so that Congress authorizes military action and presidents cannot act alone to go to war.63
  • Mark Cohen NE-3
    His campaign website says Congress, not the president, holds the power to declare war, and that he would have demanded a congressional vote before the first strike on Iran, along with a legal justification, a defined objective and an exit strategy.64
  • Maggie Goodlander NH-2
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments championing three House-passed resolutions directing the president to end U.S. military involvement in hostilities with Iran, and says Congress should again be responsible, as the Constitution provides, for deciding whether to send Americans into combat.65
  • Lily Tang Williams NH-2
    Her campaign website says Congress has failed in one of its most important duties by not declaring war when the country has gone to war, and that Congress alone is responsible for ensuring citizens' consent before military conflicts abroad.66
  • Ryan Michael Kelly NJ-3
    His campaign website says Congress should take back its constitutional role in deciding on war, and that military force should be limited to defending the country and its people.67
  • Adam Hamawy NJ-12
    His campaign website says Congress, not the president, holds the authority to declare war and authorize military force, and that Congress should reclaim that power.68
  • Winston Jordan NJ-12
    His policy platform website lists ending unauthorized wars, repealing outdated military authorizations and requiring Congress to authorize the use of force.69
  • William B. Redpath OH Senate special
    His campaign website says U.S. participation in the war against Iran is unconstitutional because the president did not seek congressional approval, and that the president should be impeached and removed over it.70
  • Annie Andrews SC Senate
    Her campaign website says she would require Congress to approve the use of military force and work to end open-ended wars.71,72
  • Kasie Whitener SC Senate
    Her campaign blog says only Congress can declare war, that the president used military force against Venezuela and Iran without authorization, and that Congress should take back its authority.73
  • Ted Brown TX Senate
    His campaign website says only Congress can declare war.74
  • Rachel Fetty Anderson WV Senate
    Her campaign website says U.S. military power should be used only for self-defense and that troops should never be sent into harm's way without the approval of Congress.75

Statements that don't match one option (43)

  • Lee McInnis AL-3
    His campaign website lists among his goals reclaiming Congress's constitutional power to declare war.76
  • Jeff Wadlin AR Senate
    His campaign website says he opposes open-ended military action that Congress has not authorized and wants Congress to restore its constitutional war powers.77
  • Mai Vang CA-7
    Her campaign website says she would work to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force and return decisions about war and peace to the people.78
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says the war with Iran lacked congressional approval, that she would support efforts to end it and to limit the president's war powers, and that she would cosponsor a resolution using the War Powers Act to withdraw U.S. forces from Israel's war in Lebanon.79
  • Samantha Mota CA-37
    Her campaign website calls for rescinding the Authorization for Use of Military Force.80
  • Cristian Morales CA-43
    His campaign website's platform says Congress should take its constitutional responsibility seriously before committing American troops to prolonged conflicts.81
  • Marni von Wilpert CA-48
    Her campaign website says she opposes President Trump's unauthorized wars.82
  • Adam Withrow CO Senate
    His campaign website says Congress must reassert its war-making responsibility and that the executive branch lacks constitutional authority for the war powers it now uses.83
  • Chad Humphrey CO-1
    His campaign website says the country has spent decades borrowing money to fight wars Congress never properly declared, and that war should come only when absolutely necessary.84
  • Benjamin Wesley CT-4
    His campaign website says he will not vote for any supplemental funding for foreign wars without a congressional war resolution.85
  • Eliott Rodriguez FL-27
    His campaign website says presidents of either party must come to Congress before committing the country to prolonged military conflict, and that he would require clear objectives, congressional authorization, oversight and an exit strategy before prolonged military action.86
  • Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. GA-4
    His campaign website says he advocates congressional oversight of military actions and has voted to limit unauthorized use of military force.87
  • Caitlyn Gegen GA-9
    Her campaign website says she will fight to help Congress take back its war and taxation powers from the president.88
  • Josh Turek IA Senate
    His campaign website says he is the lead Democratic sponsor of a bipartisan Iowa bill that would bar sending Iowa National Guard members into active combat unless Congress has declared war.89
  • Sarah Zabel ID-1
    Her federal accountability outline says she supports reforming the War Powers Resolution to require an affirmative congressional vote to sustain military operations, and her campaign website says service members should enter military conflicts only with the authorization of Congress.90,91
  • Tripp Charles Hutchinson ID-2
    His platform page lists ending forever wars, by returning war powers to Congress, among his commitments.92
  • Patty Garcia IL-4
    Her campaign website says she favors more congressional control over the use of military force.93
  • Melissa L. Bean IL-8
    Her campaign website says the founders gave Congress the power over taxation, tariffs and war, and that she is running to help restore the balance of powers.94
  • Mary Allen IN-8
    Her campaign website says she supports the War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran.95
  • Tonya L. Hudson IN-9
    Her campaign website says U.S. armed forces should not be intruding in the Middle East and that troops should return home, calls the war in Iran unauthorized and says the U.S. should leave it, and says she supports maintaining a sufficient military to defend the United States.96
  • Charles Booker KY Senate
    His campaign website says presidents should not enter open-ended conflicts without approval from Congress, and that he would change the War Powers Resolution to stop presidents from continuing military action past 60 days and require new war authorizations to have geographic and time limits.97
  • Mikel Wein KY-5
    His campaign website says it is time to restore the role of Congress in handling national emergencies and military action against other nations, and lists supporting legislation to strengthen the War Powers Act of 1973 and limit presidential power to initiate conflict among actions needed immediately.98,99
  • Zach Dembo KY-6
    His campaign website says that, at a bare minimum, congressional oversight and agreement from international allies are needed before the country goes to war.100
  • "Jamie" Davis LA Senate
    His campaign website says Congress is supposed to have the say over war and that foreign policy should be cautious, whichever party holds the presidency.101
  • Patrick "Pat" Forbes LA-6
    His campaign website calls for stopping the war with Iran, which it says is driving up the price of gas, diesel and other goods, and says Congress is supposed to be a check on the President rather than a rubber stamp, an effort he says he will lead.102
  • Jake Auchincloss MA-4
    His campaign website says to strengthen congressional control over war, among other checks and balances.103
  • Katherine M. Clark MA-5
    Her campaign website says she led the fight to end the Iran war and that, if Democrats take control of Congress, she will lead efforts to stop what it calls unauthorized wars by President Trump.104,105
  • Micah Quinney Jones MA-6
    His campaign website's security plan says congressional authority over war powers has diminished and lists reinforcing congressional oversight and avoiding open-ended military commitments without clear objectives among its goals.106
  • Jeremy Moss MI-11
    His campaign website says Americans are paying for wars and interventions under President Trump through higher prices, and that Congress must reassert its war powers.107
  • Rashida Tlaib MI-12
    Her campaign website lists among her work introducing a Lebanon War Powers Resolution, which it says 189 House members voted for in 2026, and says she voted to end the 2026 war on Iran.108
  • Lydia Christensen MI Senate
    Her campaign website says the power to declare war belongs to Congress, and that she would vote for binding resolutions to end unauthorized hostilities and oppose using old war authorizations for new conflicts.109
  • Jake Johnson MN-1
    His campaign website says he will vote to end the Iran War, and calls endless wars that Congress never authorized one of the biggest wastes of taxpayer money.110,111
  • DeVelle L. Jackson MN-5
    It says Congress should reclaim the war powers the Constitution gives it, and that military action should rest on lawful authorization, with set objectives and public accountability.112
  • Doug Chapin MN-6
    It also says he will fight to defend Congress's power to decide when and where America goes to war.113
  • Jordan Herrera MO-4
    His campaign website says that under the War Powers framework the president must tell Congress about military action within 48 hours and needs congressional approval for sustained conflict, and that he opposes military operations Congress has not authorized.114
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says Congress should vote before the United States strikes, the War Powers Resolution should be enforced with notice to Congress within 48 hours and withdrawal within 60 to 90 days without authorization, and the 2001 war authorization should be repealed and replaced.115
  • Denise Powell NE-2
    Her campaign website says she would demand congressional oversight of military actions and wants to stop unchecked actions that lack a strategic plan and a clear exit strategy.116
  • Stephen Villee NH Governor
    His campaign website says he would work to pass Defend the Guard legislation requiring that Congress formally declare war before New Hampshire's National Guard could be activated.117
  • Ramon Mora Jr. NJ-2
    The same page lists ending what it calls forever wars, including by ending Bush-era laws that it says allow the military to act in other countries.118
  • Da'Shone Hughey NJ-8
    A Why Vote page listed in his campaign website's site map mentions the ongoing war involving Iran and lists making sure Congress meets its constitutional responsibilities regarding war among the capabilities he says America needs.119
  • Ron Meinhardt OK Senate
    His campaign website says Congress must authorize war, that no president should lead the country into an open-ended war without a vote of Congress, and that this means strict adherence to the War Powers Resolution of 1973.120
  • Chris Henry OR Senate
    His platform calls for ending unauthorized wars and strengthening Congress's control over the use of force.121
  • Brett Smith OR Governor
    His campaign website supports Defend the Guard legislation to bar sending Oregon's National Guard into combat without a formal declaration of war by Congress, and his voters' pamphlet statement calls for a constitutional amendment so no Oregonian is drafted into a war Congress has not sanctioned.122,123

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.