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War Powers Resolution Reporting Project

About 48-Hour Report Database Methodology Key Findings & Analysis Download CSV 48-Hour Reports Periodic Reports Reiss Center on Law and Security

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.

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Website data current through:
June 20, 2025

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.

Latest 48-Hour Reports

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Yemen

Date

March 28, 2025

President

Donald Trump

Authority

Constitution (Art. II)

Stated Purpose/Mission

Respond to threat

Protect US citizens, property

“Houthi militants operating from bases in Yemen have perpetrated piratical aggressions against shipping and have continued to threaten and attack United States forces in the airspace and waters in and around Yemen. I will no longer allow this band of pirates to threaten and attack United States forces and commercial vessels in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. We will act to keep Americans safe. Consistent with my commitment to defend United States forces and to uphold navigational rights and freedoms, I directed the Department of Defense to take several actions concerning the Houthis in Yemen”

48-Hour Report Summary

Israel

Date

October 15, 2024

President

Joe Biden

Authority

Constitution (Art. II)

Stated Purpose/Mission

Respond to threat

“United States forces will remain postured in the region to serve important national interests, including the protection of United States persons and property from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias, and to continue to support the defense of Israel, to which our commitment remains ironclad.”

48-Hour Report Summary

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”

48-Hour Report Summary

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…”

48-Hour Report Summary
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