●ACTIVE WAR: Iran War Day 30 —Live Tracker →

Congress & War

Who votes for war, and who pays them to? Track military authorizations, defense contractor PAC money, and the growing gap between constitutional power and executive action.

5

Declared Wars

~12

Authorized Actions

469+

Military Interventions

$14.7M

Defense PAC $ (119th Congress)

War Authorizations

Major military authorization votes — and the ones that never happened.

YearAuthorizationHouse VoteSenate VoteStatusNotes
2001AUMF — Authorization for Use of Military Force420-198-0⚠ STILL ACTIVEUsed 40+ times. Sole dissent: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). Used to justify actions in 22 countries.
2002Iraq AUMF296-13377-23Repealed 2023Based on WMD claims later proven false. Led to 4,431 US deaths, ~300,000 Iraqi deaths, $2.4T spent.
2011Libya InterventionNO VOTENO VOTEUnauthorizedObama used NATO authority. Admin claimed bombing "not hostilities" under War Powers Act.
2014ISIS / SyriaNO VOTENO VOTEUnauthorizedNo formal AUMF. Obama stretched 2001 AUMF — passed for al-Qaeda — to cover ISIS, 13 years later.
2026🔴 Iran WarNO VOTENO VOTE⚠ ACTIVE — NO AUTHFull-scale war launched under disputed executive authority. No congressional authorization. Constitutional crisis.

Defense Lobby Money

Top recipients of defense contractor PAC money in the 119th Congress (2025-2026). Who gets paid, and how do they vote?

📊 Cross-reference: Of senators receiving >$500K from defense contractors, 55% voted in favor of military action on Iran 2026.

Party totals (top 20):R: $9.6MD: $5.6M
#SenatorPartyStateDefense PAC $CommitteesIran 2026
1Roger WickerRMS$1.4MArmed Services (Chair)Support
2Jack ReedDRI$1.2MArmed Services (Ranking)Oppose
3Jim InhofeROK$980KArmed ServicesSupport
4Susan CollinsRME$920KAppropriationsOppose
5Richard ShelbyRAL$890KAppropriationsSupport
6Jon TesterDMT$860KAppropriations, DefenseOppose
7Tim KaineDVA$840KArmed Services, Foreign RelationsOppose
8Lindsey GrahamRSC$820KAppropriationsSupport
9Mitch McConnellRKY$790KAppropriationsSupport
10Mark WarnerDVA$760KIntelligenceOppose
11Jeanne ShaheenDNH$720KArmed Services, Foreign RelationsOppose
12Tom CottonRAR$710KArmed Services, IntelligenceSupport
13Deb FischerRNE$680KArmed ServicesSupport
14John CornynRTX$660KIntelligenceSupport
15Tammy DuckworthDIL$640KArmed ServicesOppose
16Joni ErnstRIA$620KArmed ServicesSupport
17Dan SullivanRAK$580KArmed ServicesSupport
18Patty MurrayDWA$560KAppropriationsOppose
19Mike RoundsRSD$540KArmed ServicesSupport
20Angus KingIME$520KArmed Services, IntelligenceOppose

Source: Defense contractor PAC contributions based on OpenSecrets/FEC data for the 119th Congress (2025-2026 cycle). Includes contributions from top 20 defense contractor PACs (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, L3Harris, etc.)

The Authorization Gap

How presidents increasingly bypass Congress to wage war — and why the Constitution's war powers clause is becoming a dead letter.

"The Congress shall have Power … To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water."

— U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11

Executive Overreach: A Pattern

The last time Congress formally declared war was 1942. Since then, every president has found ways to bypass the constitutional requirement — from Truman calling Korea a "police action" to Obama claiming bombing Libya wasn't "hostilities."

The War Powers Act of 1973 was supposed to fix this. It requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing forces and withdraw within 60 days without authorization. It has been violated by every president since.

The 2001 AUMF — a single page of text passed in the shock after 9/11 — has been used to justify military action in 22 countries over 25 years. It was written for al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. It's been stretched to cover ISIS in Syria, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and dozens of other operations its authors never imagined.

The 2026 Iran War represents the most extreme case yet: a full-scale war against a nation-state with no congressional vote, no AUMF, and no declaration. The executive branch has effectively seized the war power entirely.

🏛 War Powers Act Violations

  • 1999 Kosovo: Congress voted DOWN authorization. Clinton continued bombing for 78 days.
  • 2011 Libya: Obama exceeded 60-day limit. Claimed bombing "not hostilities."
  • 2017 Syria: Trump launched 59 Tomahawk missiles without notifying congressional leadership.
  • 2020 Iran (Soleimani): Assassination of foreign military leader with no advance notification.
  • 2024 Yemen: Biden ordered strikes without authorization; claimed "defensive."
  • 2026 Iran: Full-scale war — 30 days and counting — with ZERO congressional authorization.
Declared War
Authorized
NO Authorization
Milestone

5

Declared Wars

6

Authorized Actions

16

No Authorization

469+

Total Military Interventions

1812War of 1812
1846Mexican-American War
1898Spanish-American War
1917World War I
1941World War II
1950Korean War— Truman called it a "police action"
1955Formosa Resolution
1964Gulf of Tonkin Resolution— Based on disputed incident
1965Dominican Republic
1970Cambodia Bombing— Secret for 4 years
1973War Powers Act passed
1982Lebanon
1983Grenada
1986Libya Bombing
1989Panama
1991Gulf War
1993Somalia
1994Haiti
1995Bosnia
1999Kosovo— Congress voted DOWN authorization; Clinton continued anyway
20012001 AUMF (Afghanistan)— Still active — used 40+ times
20022002 Iraq AUMF
2011Libya— Obama: "not hostilities"
2014Syria/ISIS— Used 2001 AUMF — 13 years later
2017Syria Strike— Trump — 59 Tomahawk missiles, no vote
2020Soleimani Assassination— No congressional notification
2024Yemen/Houthis— Biden — "defensive" strikes
2026Iran War— Full-scale war — NO authorization

How Did Your Senator Vote?

Select your state to see your senators' defense contractor PAC money and their positions on military authorization.

Related Pages

All War Votes

Complete history of congressional war votes since 1812

War Powers

Constitutional war powers and executive overreach

Revolving Door

Pentagon-to-contractor pipeline

Defense Contractors

Who profits from war

Iran War 2026

Real-time cost and casualty tracking

Largest Contractors

Top defense companies by revenue