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War Powers Resolution Reporting Project

War Powers Reporting by President, Purpose/Mission, and Domestic Legal Authority

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires Presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of sending U.S. armed forces into hostilities or certain other situations abroad, and to provide specific information about those deployments. These “48-hour reports” are a primary means for Congress to ensure transparency and create the possibility of meaningful oversight of the President’s use of U.S. armed forces abroad.

<< Starting at the center, hover over segments of the chart to explore the full universe of WPR “48-hour reports,” arranged by Presidential Term, Purpose/Mission, and Domestic Legal Authority.

War Powers Resolution
Reporting Project

The War Powers Resolution (WPR) is a landmark statute passed after the Vietnam War. Its aim is to restore the constitutional balance between Congress and the President in deciding when the nation goes to war. To create the transparency necessary for achieving this goal, the WPR requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of introducing U.S. armed forces into hostilities, deploying combat-equipped forces, or substantially enlarging those deployments (“48-hour reports”).

This project creates the first publicly accessible, searchable database analyzing the contents of all unclassified 48-hour reports submitted to Congress since the WPR was enacted over 45 years ago (more than 100 in total). The living database enables us to assess key questions about presidential exercise of war powers: Where and why are Presidents deploying armed forces abroad? How often do Presidents rely solely on their own constitutional authority to do so, and is that authority being stretched? Has reporting fulfilled the WPR’s requirements? In what ways are the WPR’s requirements insufficient to inform Congress of how the President is using our armed forces abroad, and in what ways is the WPR succeeding in providing meaningful transparency? Answers to these questions illuminated by this project will help lay the foundation for future study and reform.

Locations of WPR-Reported Activity by Administration

The map shows all 48-hour WPR reports for each presidential term since the WPR's enactment, displayed by reported location. It reflects geographic boundaries at the time of the relevant report(s). Use the timeline to see specific terms or play through all.

*Note: The map does not include visual representation of two 48-hour reports: the Sept. 24, 2001 reported deployment of "various combat-equipped and combat support forces to a number of foreign nations in the Central and Pacific Command areas of operations," as it included no specific locations within those areas; and the Jan. 5, 2024 report, as it did not provide a location.

Purpose/Mission of WPR Reported Activity by Administration

The WPR requires presidents to report “the circumstances necessitating the introduction” of armed forces. This chord diagram shows the stated purpose or mission of WPR-reported activity, broken down by administration.

<< Hover over a president’s name on the left side of the chord diagram to show a breakdown of their 48-hour reports by purpose/mission. Hover over a purpose/mission on the right side of the diagram to see how it maps across different presidential administrations.

Haiti

Date

March 14, 2024

President

Joe Biden

Authority

Constitution (Art. II)

Stated Purpose/Mission

Protect US citizens, property

“To protect United States diplomatic personnel and diplomatic facilities”; “strengthen United States Embassy security”

Yemen

Date

February 26, 2024

President

Joe Biden

Authority

Constitution (Art. II)

Stated Purpose/Mission

Respond to threat

“I directed the strikes in order to protect and defend our personnel and assets, to degrade and disrupt the ability of the Houthi militants to carry out future attacks against the United States and against vessels operating in the Red Sea region that could further destabilize the region and threaten United States strategic interests. The strikes were taken to degrade Houthi capacity to conduct future attacks…”

Yemen

Date

February 05, 2024

President

Joe Biden

Authority

Constitution (Art. II)

Stated Purpose/Mission

Respond to threat

“I directed the strikes against targets used by Houthi militants to support attacks in the Red Sea region in order to protect and defend our personnel and assets, and to disrupt the Houthi capabilities used to conduct or support further attacks that could further destabilize the region and threaten United States strategic interests. The strikes were taken to degrade Houthi capacity to conduct future attacks…”

Iraq, Syria

Date

February 04, 2024

President

Joe Biden

Authority

Constitution (Art. II)

Statute

Stated Purpose/Mission

Respond to threat

“The strikes have been taken to deter the IRGC and affiliated militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities and have been conducted in a manner designed to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties. I directed the strikes in order to protect and defend our personnel and assets who are in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan conducting military operations pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40). The strikes are intended to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks against the United States and our partners.”