Whatever comes after Trump’s acts of war against Iran, we ought to also talk about what happened before — or what didn’t happen. Trump, in his very public deliberations over whether or not to deploy the U.S. military against Iran, never once asked for or received authorization from Congress.
Most probably don’t understand why the president ever would ask Congress for approval, because for decades, the president has taken war powers away from Congress, and Congress has been happy to abdicate its war powers. But still, the Constitution and federal statute are clear: The president needs Congress’s authorization — as in a resolution that passes both chambers — before he can enter into a war.
There is no special 60-days-of-free-war clause. There is, instead, a
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