As President Barack Obama channels his inner salesman to pitch military action in Syria , he should n't be surprised when he finds a number of congressional doors already closed . One common refrain from those who plan to vote against the resolution to authorize military action in Syria is they simply ca n't support a proposal that their constituents vociferously oppose . `` Both in terms of the percentage opposed -- I would have to say it is by far the single biggest issue we have seen , '' said Rep. Steve Daines , a Republican from Montana . Daines represents all of Montana -- he is an `` at large '' member -- and he said that during the August recess he put 3,000 miles on his truck , crisscrossing the state and attending events that put him in close conversations with his constituents . At coffee hours , town halls , and meet and greets all over the state , Daines found that the sentiment was overwhelming : `` I am hearing from the people of Montana . They are telling me we should not be involved . '' `` It is called the people 's house for a reason , '' Daines concluded . `` We are here to express the voice of the people . This is an example of where Congress , hopefully , will express the will of the American people . '' The number of `` no '' votes in Congress continues to grow , while lawmakers planning to vote `` yes '' are becoming an even smaller minority , according to CNN 's latest vote count . There are currently 148 House members prepared to vote against Obama 's call for military action -- with 30 Democrats joining 118 Republicans in their opposition . That overall number of `` no '' votes has grown from 109 on Friday . In order to win passage of the authorization , Obama will have to persuade 270 members to vote `` yes '' -- a heavy lift , considering there are currently only 25 members who say they plan to vote `` yes '' on military action , 17 Democrats and eight Republicans . The number of `` yes '' votes has only increased by two since Friday . A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday shows that even though eight in 10 Americans believe that Bashar al-Assad 's regime gassed its own people , a strong majority do n't want Congress to pass a resolution authorizing a military strike against it . Since Obama unexpectedly asked Congress in August to authorize military action in Syria , polls have found that Americans are opposed to such action . The Senate has been more receptive than the House to Obama 's authorization request . There are currently 25 `` yes '' and 23 `` no '' votes in the Senate , with a significant 52 senators undecided . But the trend favors the `` no '' votes -- with a handful of moderate Democrats in the last three days coming out against the proposal . `` After doing my due diligence , I believe we need an alternative path forward in dealing with the Assad regime , '' said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota in a statement . `` We must balance the legitimate concerns that Americans have about the use of military force with our strategic interests . '' Other Democratic senators echoed Heitkamp : Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska . Pryor issued a statement Saturday saying Obama and his national security team had not yet made an effective case for taking action against al-Assad 's regime and laying out the criteria that had to be met in order for him to support military action in Syria . `` Based on the information presented to me and the evidence I have gathered , I do not believe these criteria have been met , '' Pryor said . Begich told people on a telephone town hall last week that he was a `` probable no '' on Syrian authorization . `` This has probably been the No . 1 issue , especially in the last week , that Alaskans have been contacting my office , as well as when I was back home for the last month , '' Begich said . Because of the possibility of a filibuster , Obama and supporters need 60 votes in the Senate to win passage . Despite the vocal opposition and light support , majorities in both the House and Senate remain undecided on the proposal , and the White House is putting on the hard sell to court those possible `` yes '' votes . The Senate is expected to take up the resolution after returning from its month-long summer recess Monday . White House officials will travel to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to try to make their case with lawmakers , hours before Obama addresses the nation in a prime-time speech .
Lawmakes who plan to vote against military action say their constituents oppose it . The number of those who plan to vote `` no '' grew significantly over the weekend . Comment: