# Concurrent Resolution A concurrent resolution, designated **H.Con.Res.** or **S.Con.Res.**, is adopted by both chambers of Congress but is **not presented to the President**, and therefore does not become law. Congress uses it for its own business: - the annual [[Budget Resolution]], which sets the framework and unlocks [[Reconciliation]] - adjournment dates - creating joint committees - "sense of Congress" statements Because it is never presented, it **cannot be vetoed** and needs only simple majorities in both chambers. For the same reason, it **binds no one outside the legislative branch**. [[INS v. Chadha]] (1983) confirmed that when it struck down the [[Legislative Veto]]: Congress cannot change anyone's legal rights without presentment. ## The war-powers trap That combination makes the concurrent resolution the most misunderstood instrument in the war-powers debate: - **The original design.** Section 5(c) of the [[War Powers Resolution]], as enacted in 1973, let a concurrent resolution *compel* the withdrawal of forces. That was a legislative veto over the President's use of troops. - **After *Chadha*.** Most scholars and the executive branch read *Chadha* as voiding that compulsion. The sponsors of the 2026 resolution called it binding, while the American Society of International Law describes it as unenforceable. - **What survives.** War-powers concurrent resolutions still move on **expedited procedures immune to the filibuster**. Adoption is also evidence: a President who continues hostilities after both chambers have formally objected is acting in the weakest category of [[Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer]], against Congress's expressed will. ## 2026: the first one to pass During the [[Iran War 2026]], the House adopted **H.Con.Res. 86** on **June 3, 2026, 215–208**. The Senate followed on **June 23, 50–48**, with Republicans Cassidy, Collins, Murkowski and Paul voting yes. It was the **first war-powers concurrent resolution ever adopted by both chambers**. It was not the first time both chambers voted to end hostilities: joint resolutions on Yemen (2019) and Iran (2020) did that and were vetoed. The resolution had no operative legal effect. The war resumed on July 7, and the administration treated the resumption as a new conflict with a new 60-day clock. The House adopted a second concurrent resolution on July 23. The sequence is mapped in [[War Powers Decision Flow]]. ## See also - [[Joint Resolution]] · [[Legislative Veto]] · [[INS v. Chadha]] · [[Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer]] - [[War Powers Resolution]] · [[War Powers Decision Flow]] · [[Iran War 2026]] · [[Budget Resolution]] · [[Congress Hub]]