Trump’s missile attacks on Syria are illegal
by Timothy P. Carney
| April 14, 2018 09:56 AM
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress, and only Congress, the power to declare war. Of course, there’s plenty of ambiguity as to what is war, what is a declaration, and what actions the president can take without congressional authority.
That’s why Congress, three decades ago, passed the War Powers Resolution. The resolution clearly defines the division of powers here.
The president is allowed to “introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities,†only “pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.â€
That is, absent a congressional authorization [see (1) or (2) above], the president is allowed to initiate combat only if we’re under attack [(3) above].
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trumps-missile-attacks-on-syria-are-illegal
