With the Trump Administration taking threatening steps toward Iran and Venezuela, and U.S. forces involved in dozens of conflicts around the world, it is clearer than ever that Congress must act to take back its constitutional authority over war. This authority is guaranteed in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, but for too long, Congress has ceded this power to the executive branch.
Recently, we have seen cause for hope that Congress is reasserting its power. In April, Congress sent a historic bill (S.J. Res. 7) to the president’s desk to end U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Although President Trump vetoed the bill, this is the first time that Congress has invoked the 1973 War Powers Act to end an illegal war.
FCNL contributed to this achievement by faithfully working with a broad coalition of organizations and allies in both parties and chambers of Congress.
Read the rest of this article, and the full Washington Newsletter for May-June 2019, below.