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Congress·In Committee·H.J.Res. 159

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to the duration of authorizations of the use of force.

Rep. Barrett Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Limit Military Force Authorizations to Five Years

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on the Judiciary. It is not yet scheduled for a vote and is considered to be moving slowly. There is no companion bill currently associated with this proposal.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Very unlikely to pass

Constitutional amendments are extremely difficult to pass because they require massive support from both Congress and the states, which rarely happens in a divided political climate.

Key Points

National Security Foreign Policy

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Active duty service members deployed overseas under future authorizations of force would be affected because their deployments could not legally continue beyond five years without a new vote from Congress. This creates more democratic accountability over where troops serve but could also introduce uncertainty about the legal basis for ongoing operations as the five-year deadline approaches.

An Act of Congress enacted after the date of the ratification of this article that authorizes the use of military force by the United States outside of the United States, and with respect to which there is not in effect a declaration of war enacted by Congress, shall cease to have effect on the earlier of the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of such Act
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ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Apr 22, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Apr 22, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to the duration of authorizations of the use of force.

Bill NumberHJRES 159
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.