Lawmakers Warned of Trump's Executive Overreach Sen. Schumer Calls for a Classified Briefing on Involvement in Israel-Iran Conflict
BACKGROUND: The goal of this report is to provide possible rationale as to why Pres. Donald Trump did not seek congressional approval before militarily backing Israel in its war with Iran. Initially, took a preventative peacemaking stance before delving into combat assistance. Congress is poised toaffress thus change in position to prevent further entanglement.
By Mona Austin
(TSN): Congressional leaders are challenging Pres. Donald Trump's avoidance of contact and claiming the U.S. military's entrance into the week-long Israel-Iran war was lawless. He made the decision independent of any input from Congress. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer immediately condemned the bombings.
“No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy,” he said. He emphasized the need for Congress to invoke War Powers.
Schumer followed up Saturday's remarks with a floor speech on Monday in which he asserted Trump did not meet the requirements of the War Powers Act and requested a classified briefing to get details about why the U.S. joined its ally Israel in the fight.
Later today, Senators will have a special briefing on the issues surrounding this matter.
There was a push in the House to address this as well.
The Limits of War Powers
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 was passed to limit the U.S. president's ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad without Congressional approval. It doesn’t provide a president free reign related to war powers but offers a framework for temporary military engagement without immediate Congressional authorization.to keep the nation secured from immenent danger. A president has up to 90 days to take action without congreasional approval a source tells The Slice News.
The “90-day rule” is not a free pass for war. It's a contested emergency power window meant for rapid response in defense or crisis, with the expectation that Congress will be brought in promptly to authorize or deny continued action. In practice, however, presidents have often stretched or ignored these limits without much Congressional pushback.
Given the aforementiined details, did Trump violate the U.S. Constitution when he ordered U.S. military to drop bunker bombs on Iran sans Congressional consent? The answer could be as simple as this-- no war powers, no war. But, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have differing opinions on whether it was a procedural mistep or an ececutive privilege, which suggests the answer is more complex.