In an interview Monday, President Trump told Hill.TV that if he was going to start a war against Iran, he doesn’t need Congressional approval, nor does he even have to inform Congress about the attack.
“I do like keeping them abreast, but I don’t have to do it legally,” Trump insisted. Trump says Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told him he needed Congressional approval, and “I disagree.”
The US Constitution empowers only Congress to declare war, and the War Powers Act also mandates that Congress offer an authorization for the use of military force. No such authorization exists for Iran, something Congressional officials have repeatedly pointed out.
While the law is fairly straightforward on the matter, in practice the US has found itself in a number of recent wars Congress never authorized, and is in one in Yemen right now. Trump is continuing arguments that both Presidents Obama and Bush made that as president he has considerable unilateral power to wage war.
And again, even though the law doesn’t support this position, Congress has proven largely unwilling to check presidential war-making, suggesting that in practice Trump very well might be able to attack Iran with no Congressional fallout.
Since talk of an imminent war with Iran has been ongoing for months, both Houses of Congress are discussing putting specific language in the new military spending bill preemptively defunding any military actions against Iran that Congress didn’t authorize.
That could be a way to stop a unilateral attack, though recently Trump has vetoed any bills that he perceives as threatening his power for such attacks. So far it isn’t clear if enough people in Congress are willing to override such a veto.
Trump: I don’t need no stinking Constitution!
Bin Laden has won.
bush sr is the real winner
DJT is totally wrong in that statement. Unlike AUMF that was put into place following 9/11 terror attacks, allowing G. W. Bush to wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq, there’s no AUMF to allow DJT to attack Iran without authorization from Congress .. And Congress hasn’t authorized him to do so.
The Constitution clearly states that only Congress can declare war. A President – in this case DJT – can only give Congress actual reason(s) for them to declare war .. He isn’t authorized to wage war on Iran without Congressional approval. Period.
that act was unconstitutional in itself. the only upside to the Trump derangement syndrome is getting that crap voted down. even though I’ll believe they won’t all vote for it when I see it
Trump doesn’t understand what it means to be an elected official. He’s used to the ‘my way or the highway’ private sector, private ownership way of things. He doesn’t understand that he’s not the CEO of America, Inc.
Trump: I’ll unilaterally decide NOT to start a war I signed off on, giving me and me alone ultimate control, as if I decided to start a war, I wouldn’t even have to inform Congress. He’s all about Trump, but those of us who have been paying attention for the last 40 years would know this about him.
yep,narcissist bully in chief.
What does the famed Constitutionalist, Mark Levin, say about this?
We have a sitting President who doesn’t understand the Constitution – or pretty much anything else outside of real estate.
And this guy is going to prevent the Iran war? Because he doesn’t “want to”? Seriously?
Not that it matters as I’ve said here ad nauseum – all it it will take is some incident that is considered “serious” enough to “justify” some military strike on Iran, no matter how small. Unless Iran is in the mood to accept such a strike – which, allegedly, on Thursday they made clear they are *not* – that is all it will take to get an actual war started.
And once that happens, Congress will be completely unable to simply stop it by vote.
Because this war won’t be something like the ongoing occupation of Iraq or Afghanistan with a low-level insurgency, or some US support for the Saudis in attacking Yemen, where Congress can debate simply cutting off the funds for the war. It will be a major hot war with attacks on Israel, on the Saudi oil fields, on US bases all over the Middle East, on US troops in Iraq, on US naval assets everywhere in the Middle East. Israel will be screaming bloody murder for the US to destroy Iran and Israel will be launching missiles against Iran. Israel will be lobbying Congress and Congress will not risk being inadequately in “support of Israel” and equally importantly not sufficiently in “support of US troops” to fail to respond.
So, yes, regardless of what Congress wants, Trump can start this war any time he can be persuaded he has to, or can be persuaded he “wants to”. Which with this idiot isn’t going to be a tough call for every one of his advisers (with the odd possible exception like Dunford who won’t matter if he himself sees the writing on the wall.)
he doesn’t understand real estate either.
Attack Iran and then you’re forced to move back to the Trump tower in New York where you belong!
The Constitution is a very beautiful document – that the whole world is jealous of.
Why do the Americans let it slip away?
stupidity and ignorance?
for this reason alone. trump needs removed from the job .