Presidents don’t have to seek congressional approval for all foreign interventions, but Congress will express its opinion one way or another. A strike in Syria would be the sixth major intervention of the past 20 years—and some 100 politicians have been in office to vote (or spout off) on all of them. However, their positions haven’t always remained the same. Here’s how the biggest pols came down on these interventions.
Democrat
Republican
Yes
No
No statement or No vote
House
- 1995
- 1999
- 2001
- 2003
- 2011
- Politician
- Bosnia
- Kosovo
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Libya
- BK
- KV
- AF
- IZ
- LY
- Rob Andrews
- R. Andrews
- Xavier Becerra
- X. Becerra
- Sanford Bishop
- S. Bishop
- John Boehner
- J. Boehner
- Corrine Brown
- C. Brown
- Ken Calvert
- K. Calvert
- Dave Camp
- D. Camp
- Jim Clyburn
- J. Clyburn
- Peter Defazio
- P. Defazio
- Rosa Delauro
- R. Delauro
- John Dingell
- J. Dingell
- Jimmy Duncan
- J. Duncan
- Eliot Engel
- E. Engel
- Luis Gutiérrez
- L. Gutiérrez
- Alcee Hastings
- A. Hastings
- Steny Hoyer
- S. Hoyer
- Pete King
- P. King
- Jack Kingston
- J. Kingston
- Jim McDermott
- J. McDermott
- Buck McKeon
- B. McKeon
- George Miller
- G. Miller
- Jerry Nadler
- J. Nadler
- Nancy Pelosi
- N. Pelosi
- Hal Rogers
- H. Rogers
- Dana Rohrabacher
- D. Rohrabacher
- James Sensenbrenner
- J. Sensenbrenner
- José Serrano
- J. Serrano
- Louise Slaughter
- L. Slaughter
- Lamar Smith
- L. Smith
- Pete Visclosky
- P. Visclosky
- Maxine Waters
- M. Waters
- Henry Waxman
- H. Waxman
- Frank Wolf
- F. Wolf
Senate
- 1995
- 1999
- 2001
- 2003
- 2011
- Politician
- Bosnia
- Kosovo
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Libya
- BK
- KV
- AF
- IZ
- LY
- Max Baucus
- M. Baucus
- Barbara Boxer
- B. Boxer
- Thad Cochran
- T. Cochran
- Dianne Feinstein
- D. Feinstein
- Chuck Grassley
- C. Grassley
- Tom Harkin
- T. Harkin
- Orrin Hatch
- O. Hatch
- Jim Inhofe
- J. Inhofe
- Patrick Leahy
- P. Leahy
- Carl Levin
- C. Levin
- John McCain
- J. McCain
- Mitch McConnell
- M. McConnell
- Barbara Mikulski
- B. Mikulski
- Patty Murray
- P. Murray
- Harry Reid
- H. Reid
- Jay Rockefeller
- J. Rockefeller
- Richard Shelby
- R. Shelby
House → Senate
- 1995
- 1999
- 2001
- 2003
- 2011
- Politician
- Bosnia
- Kosovo
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Libya
- BK
- KV
- AF
- IZ
- LY
- Sherrod Brown
- S. Brown
- Ben Cardin
- B. Cardin
- Mike Crapo
- M. Crapo
- Dick Durbin
- D. Durbin
- Ed Markey
- E. Markey
- Bob Menendez
- B. Menendez
- Rob Portman
- R. Portman
- Jack Reed
- J. Reed
- Chuck Schumer
- C. Schumer
- Ron Wyden
- R. Wyden