President Trump’s veto of SJ Res 7, the War Powers Act demand to end the Yemen War, raised some serious questions about Congress’ ability to retain control over constitutional war-making powers. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is hoping that will spur action to override the veto.
While the Senate vote on the original resolution was a close 54-46, Sanders cited the veto’s challenge to congressional authority as proof that the Senate needs to debate an override, which would require 67 votes.
The narrative surrounding the vote and veto is setting this up as a constitutional battle. President Trump suggested that voting against the war violated his presidential authority, while the Constitution clearly reserves war-making power for Congress.
Congress hasn’t asserted itself on war-making in decades, and while Sanders conceded it would be tough to swing 13 votes to override a veto, he appeared hopeful that Congress was ready to reclaim its authority on the matter.
Gotta try….gop warmongers gotta go, all of em
Problem is, you can’t appeal to them on constitutional or moral grounds; it’s just money in their pockets that sway the Repubs and the Saudi’s have plenty of that.
As opposed to Hillary, who took bribes from the Saudis, Qataris, the UAE, Kuwait, Egypt etc as Secretary of State. HALF if those she met with first paid bribes to her slush-fund “Foundation,” and she set up an illegal private server for this business. Obama’s State Department. Sent teargas and riot gear to Mubarak to beat down the protesters, later approved the military machine gunning the democratic protesters as the military took back power. Wanted war against Syria, whose economy was destroyed by 2004 oil sanctions and then Obama’s further 2010 sanctions. Obama tripled the drone bombings in Pakistan, approved further attacks in Yemen. The only president to keep a war going from before to after his presidency. Trump at least has avoided a war on Syria’s government and is reducing the occupation in Afghanistan. Btw, let’s not mention Bill Clinton’s many wars, or Senator Hillary making the Afghan-Iraq invasions a bipartisan affair in Congress.
And you don’t mention Trump continuing Obama’s Yemen war and selling the Saudis weaponry that has made the humanitarian disaster much worse. Or how about the crippling sanctions his administration has levied against countless countries with Iran being the main target. And no mention of Trump’s missile attacks on Syria? Trump has increased our drone attacks as well as our bombing in the wars that he inherited while lifting the rules of engagement to make the killing easier. Trump IS Hillary.
Hey, wars, he’s back on his “Hillary would have been worse” rag. Thing is, we’re talking about Republicans in the current Senate. They’re the ones who are blocking Bernie’s resolution. Hillary is ancient history… hopefully.
I used to think Hillary was worse than Trump. But now the only difference is their sagging boobs. And not much difference there either.
At least Hill wears support.
True, otherwise they’d be south of her waist. And before anyone jumps on me, my ballsack hangs down to my knees.
Can I steal that line? That just made my day!
By all means. You just made MY day.
It is not only “Hillary would have been worse.” It also points out where we really find the “center” for both parties. It isn’t just that Trump is bad, but that he is not even the worst that was on offer.
Sure, let me see how that logic works…..gop congress wont vote to end war participation because Hillary. That about it ?
As opposed to Hillary, who took bribes from the Saudis, Qataris, the UAE, Kuwait, Egypt etc as Secretary of State. HALF of those she met with first paid bribes to her slush-fund “Foundation,” and she set up an illegal private server for this business. Obama’s State Department. Sent teargas and riot gear to Mubarak to beat down the protesters, later approved the military machine gunning the democratic protesters as the military took back power. Wanted war against Syria, whose economy was destroyed by 2004 oil sanctions and then Obama’s further 2010 sanctions. Obama tripled the drone bombings in Pakistan, approved further attacks in Yemen. The only president to keep a war going from before to after his presidency.
Defeated Kaddafi, which I actually approve of, as he murdered thousands and kept little kidnapped girls as sex slaves in his palace basement. But then just left Libya with no government, nothing working, knowing it would be torn apart and would flood Europe with Africans as planned.
Trump at least has avoided a war on Syria’s government and is reducing the occupation in Afghanistan. Btw, let’s not mention Bill Clinton’s many wars, or Senator Hillary making the Afghan-Iraq invasions a bipartisan affair in Congress.
So much to refute….just some highlights…Obama’s poor interventions in Libya, Syria, etc. Were caused by the civil wars caused by the Arab Spring, which was caused by the millions of refugees from Bush’s wars. Afghanistan was bipartisan, Iraq was not, see, authorization votes in Congress. Trump has vastly escalated Syria, and every other war zone on the planet, and you, or I, dont know who he is killing or why, as secrecy in operations, and media blackout was a promise from his campaign he has kept. Biggest problem with dem haters is you guys are terrible at dem criticism, which you seem to just pick out of your nose.
The Libyan and Syrian gambits were Hillary’s babies exclusively, as well as Ukraine and Honduras. The blame falls on Obama (aka Bush’s 3rd and 4th term) for unleashing that hellcat on the world.
As long as partisans pretend there’s a dime worth of difference between the parties, we’ll continue to circle the drain toward the cesspool of history… A fate I’m increasingly looking forward to – keep up the good work.
Yes, yes, Hillary and Obama suck too. They all f**king suck except for Ilhan and Tulsi and occasionally Rand who’s apparently like a libertarian teen-wolf, he only becomes cool once in a full moon.
Gaddafi killed thousands etc…these stories might be true or false , but they came from Western narrators. Then how many have the democratic leaders killed in recent decades? Would you say, Saudi Arabia should be bombed immediately? If not ,then why Libya?
You were just trolling MAGA country with that one and you know it. Oh well, spade’s a spade. I still feel obligated to call for the purge of DNC warmongers too. Like I said, a spade’s a spade. Keep trolling, Dave.
Heh, only in the trump era could pointing out an outright fact that the GOP is obstructing an antiwar vote, on an antiwar site, would be considered “trolling”.
Good Luck, Bernie!
This should be an 100-0 vote in the senate, because it’s not about the issue of Yemen now; its about whether Congress maintains its constitutional powers.
Looking at comments here and on other sites, we just cannot get to the moral issues of innocent civilians being butchered. It is about the moral waste land of the two “parties” and the “bottom” line.
The mega bucks from slaughter-a wonderful story.
I tend to agree. The moral imperative is murder today, the congress today. Without the dems taking the house in 18, this war challenge would not be as far as it is. It is not about Clinton, at all. Today, it is about getting rid of the GOP, the proof is in the votes today.
Good. I just wish Bernie had the guts to appose this bloodbath when Obama started it. But I guess anti-imperialists can’t be choosers. Bernie-come-lately beats Bernie-come-never.
Congress originally ok’d Obama’s intervention, with limits, in 2015. After a series of Saudi led civilian deaths, they cracked down with a series of further restrictions on participation and arms sales. Yemen continued to deteriorate, Congress introduced a rescinding of war authority in 2016 during Obama, which failed to the GOP majority. Trump, entering office, rescinded restrictions on arms sales and escalated US activities. Congress made several attempts to rescind war authority since, all failed until the dems took the House in 18. Sanders was in the antiwar process as early as any.
Not soon enough.
Another fake attempt by an opportunist.
Who cares? I want to see who votes to override. And the discussion that follows of congress abdicating their responsibilities might awaken some people.
They have “abdicated” their responsibilities a long time ago. And it’s too late for any change short of a revolution. People aren’t asleep, they are either misinformed or stupid.
I was referring to those who are ignorant as the ones to be awakened. They are the ones who don’t know it’s been going on for a long time. And how we going to do a revolution with misinformed and stupid people?
If Wikileaks, Manning, Snowden and Ron Paul couldn’t wake three generations, there is no hope. I was also referring revolution as a barometer to not seeing any change in Congress. But stupid and misinformed people make excellent cannon fodders.
Really ? How, exactly, is putting an item up for a vote “fake” ? Are you saying that if enough GOP cross the isle, and override the veto, Sanders will announce that he was just kidding ?
Colonel Sanders is proposing something that he knows it will not get through. No GOP will cross that fantasy isle.
He is as fake as a three dollar bill.
I still can’t forget how he folded like a house cards and endorsed Clinton after everything DNC did to him.
An actual vote is a fantasy ? You do grasp that actual votes gets us into wars ? Those votes are recorded as record ? You’re sounding like the standard “voting is pointless” apathetic nihilist that wins every election thru non interest, and non participation, thereby insuring forever war.
Love your optimism. May it never tarnish. But records and recorded means nothing in the DC swamp. Poor Trump tried to drain it and instead got stuck in it Maybe will be better and smarter people once a meteor destroys half the planet.
Sure, nihilism would include figuring a meteor strike would fix things.
There hasn’t been an actual vote since WW2. Those straws you are trying to grab, it’s just a mirage.
Jeez,maybe someone has found their heart and hears from their conscience.
Now maybe rand paul would find the same idea.
Maybe mandatory viewing photos of butchered children from saudi (er, american) bombs would be helpful
I hope Bernie is successful.
The US needs to have a mass execution of the House of Saud!