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Public disputes concerning political parties, public officials, institutions, political conduct, and governance in the United States.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
4 statements on this page. Dates: June 23, 2026 to September 24, 2026
4 matching statements. Dates: June 23, 2026 to September 24, 2026
4 published statements. Dates: June 23, 2026 to September 24, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. Senator, Louisiana
Statement summary
John Kennedy voted nay on H.Con.Res. 89, a vote against directing the removal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities with Iran.
“On the Concurrent Resolution H.Con.Res. 89: A concurrent resolution directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.”
Official Senate roll call on H.Con.Res. 89, a concurrent resolution directing the President under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran. Rejected 49-50 on September 24, 2026. Fetterman was the only Democratic nay; Republicans Collins, Murkowski, Paul and Tillis voted yea; Alsobrooks did not vote.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Voted against directing the removal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities with Iran, a vote to let U.S. involvement continue without congressional authorization.
Role at the time: United States senator from Louisiana
Statement summary
Speaking to CBS News on September 23, 2026, Sen. John Kennedy said he and other Republican leaders want the Iran war to end, but he does not support Congress, in his words, pulling the rug out on President Trump by limiting his ability to strike Iran, particularly, he said, when the United States is winning. He called the genesis of most of that effort political and said it would hurt America, adding that everyone wants the war to end.
“I think the genesis of most, not all of that, but the genesis of most of that is political, and I think it would hurt America. Having said that, we all want the war to end.”
CBS News post on X reporting comments Sen. John Kennedy made to CBS News' Nikole Killion on September 23, 2026, about congressional efforts to limit President Trump's ability to strike Iran.
Kennedy said he wants the war to end but opposes congressional action to limit Trump's ability to strike Iran, defending the president's discretion to continue the campaign.
Role at the time: United States senator from Louisiana, quoted in an ABC News report
Statement summary
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana attempted to fast-track legislation requiring every AI company to be able to deploy a kill switch to stop the technology if it gets out of control, arguing the measure is warranted if there is even a one per cent chance a model could cease to be a tool and become what he called an independent species. Fellow Republican Rand Paul blocked the attempt. The quoted line is as broadcast by ABC News and breaks off mid-sentence in the segment.
“If there is even a 1% chance that one of these AI models can shed its nature as a tool and become an independent species.”
ABC News segment posted to the network's X account at 11:39 AM ET on September 17, 2026. Besides Hinton it carries several other figures relevant to this case and not yet recorded from it: Sen. John Kennedy attempting to fast-track a bill requiring AI companies to be able to deploy a kill switch, saying there is "even a 1% chance" a model could shed its nature as a tool and become an independent species; Sen. Rand Paul blocking that proposal on the grounds that Congress does not understand the technology well enough to regulate it; and an unnamed senior Trump adviser saying existing law already makes AI companies liable for harmful products. The segment also reports that Anthropic's chief executive wants coordinated industry safety standards and has said this may require an antitrust waiver, which senators of both parties have resisted. One line in the segment — "This is bat crazy insane science fiction stuff" — is spoken over Hinton's probability estimate and is not Hinton's; the speaker is not identified in the clip, so it is not attributed here.
Kennedy supports it concretely, seeking to pass a federal mandate that AI companies be capable of shutting their systems down, and justifying it on a low-probability, high-consequence basis. That places him with Cantwell (728) and Hawley (798), who press for specific federal requirements, rather than with Huang (727) or Johnson (729). The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”; it loses because he attaches no condition to the requirement itself. Note that Kennedy questioned Kash Patel about FBI hiring standards in a separate case; this record concerns only his AI legislation.
Role at the time: U.S. Senator, Louisiana
Statement summary
John Kennedy voted Nay on H.Con.Res. 86, the Senate resolution directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.
“On the Concurrent Resolution H.Con.Res. 86: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.”
Official Senate roll call on H.Con.Res. 86, directing the President under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran. Agreed to 50-48 on June 23, 2026 — the first Iran war powers resolution to pass both chambers. Republicans Cassidy, Collins, Murkowski and Paul voted yea; Fetterman was the only Democratic nay.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)A nay vote opposed the resolution directing the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, allowing U.S. military operations in the war to continue.
