War Powers Act explained; lawmakers push back on Trump
By: Savannah Kuchar (USA TODAY)
I agree. Democrats should invoke the War Powers Act.
Democrats should force Trump to remove the troops that are not in Iran. Democrats should force Trump to halt the combat missions that are not flying over Iran. Democrats should force Trump to stop nation building in Iran and leave the poor, helpless Ayatollah alone.
I agree. Democrats should make themselves look as stupid as they can be. Invoke the War Powers Act now to keep Trump out of Iran and to get Trump out of Ukraine.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Donald Trump's decision to order U.S. airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran June 22 brought immediate questions from some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle whether he had acted within his authority.
Under Trump's direction, the U.S. effectively joins a 10-day-old war initiated when Israel began bombing Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure. The president has said repeatedly that he did not want to get involved in conflict in the Middle East but that "that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon."
Some lawmakers, including staunch conservatives and prominent progressives, are calling the move a breach of the Constitution.
"The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, posted on X.
The Constitution puts the power to declare war in Congress' hands, and the War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action. The law also limits the deployment of armed forces beyond 90 days in the absence of a formal declaration of war.
Asked at Pentagon news conference early June 22 when Congress was made aware of the strikes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted: "They were notified after the planes were safely out. But we complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act."
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, responded to Trump's social media assessment of the attack with the statement "This is not Constitutional."
Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California filed a measure June 17 that is based on the War Powers Act and seeks to block "unauthorized hostilities" in Iran.
"Stopping Iran from having a nuclear bomb is a top priority, but dragging the U.S. into another Middle East war is not the solution," Khanna said in a statement. "Trump's strikes are unconstitutional and put Americans, especially our troops, at risk."
Some of Trump's strongest supporters also have cautioned against conflict abroad.
"Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote in a post shortly before the U.S. bombings.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard
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Invoke the War Powers Act now! Pull the US troops out of Iran and Ukraine. Stop the US combat missions over Iran and Ukraine. Let Israel fight their war. Let Ukraine fight their war.
(chuckles) Trump still has time to notify congress from the time clock i see. and under that presidential war powers act of 73 , he hasnt done anything wrong , and if one reads it , can still wage war for a certain amount of time with out congressional approval .
funny thing? when congress passed this act? it was vetoed by the then sitting president , and passed by majority vote by congress without a presidential signature .
i chuckle because this is an attempt to close the barn door after the horse is already out of the barn in this case , by congresses own doing .
The hypocrisy of many on the left knows no bounds.
'We Came, We Saw, He Died': Dems' Breathtaking Hypocrisy On War Powers (UPDATE) – HotAir
I hope Democrats succeed. That would get us out of the Ukrainian quagmire, too.
The War Powers Act needs to be reformed in several ways. It has been abused too many times.