Sponsors (56)
The bill shifts authority and oversight over use of force back toward Congress—reducing the chance of unauthorized military engagements and protecting service members—but it also slows the executive’s ability to act quickly, increases congressional workload for authorizations, may complicate some international operations, and could raise costs if Congress funds new interdiction tools.
Service members and taxpayers: the bill reasserts Congress’s exclusive war‑declaring authority and limits the executive branch from initiating new open‑ended overseas hostilities without a congressional AUMF or declaration of war, reducing the chance of unauthorized long‑term deployments.
Local governments and law enforcement: the bill clarifies that drug trafficking alone does not constitute an 'armed attack' that authorizes use of U.S. military force, limiting the risk of military escalation in counternarcotics cases and keeping responses focused on law‑enforcement tools.
Law enforcement and border communities: the bill signals willingness to fund counter‑narcotics capabilities (intelligence, detection technology, interdiction tools), which could strengthen port and border interdiction capacity and support domestic and partner‑country policing efforts.
Military personnel and taxpayers: the bill could constrain the President’s ability to respond rapidly with military force to emerging terrorist threats in countries without a prior AUMF, slowing time‑sensitive responses.
Taxpayers and the legislative branch: by tightening when force is permissible, the bill increases pressure on Congress to draft and pass timely AUMFs, risking authorization delays and political gridlock during crises.
Military personnel and federal operations: new reporting, expedited‑withdrawal expectations, and added oversight could constrain ongoing missions, create short‑term operational uncertainty, and complicate command decisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the President to end hostilities against newly designated terrorist groups, states where they operate, and major drug-trafficking organizations unless Congress authorizes force.
Official title: To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities that have not been authorized by Congress.
Introduced September 19, 2025 by Jason Crow · Last progress September 19, 2025
Prohibits the President from using U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities against groups or states newly designated as foreign terrorists or specially designated global terrorists after February 20, 2025, or against non-state organizations engaged in large-scale drug trafficking, unless Congress declares war or passes a specific authorization for the use of military force. It affirms that recent U.S. strikes on vessels in September 2025 count as "hostilities" under the War Powers Resolution and directs the President to end such hostilities unless Congress authorizes them, while preserving the right to defend against armed attacks and to provide limited counternarcotics support.