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Several Democrats on Capitol Hill scolded President Biden Thursday for launching airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen without congressional approval, arguing that the action was unconstitutional. “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east (sic) conflict,” Rep. Ro Khanna tweeted. “That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.” “Section 2C of the War Powers Act is clear: POTUS may only introduce the US into hostilities after Congressional authorization...

The Senate failed Thursday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a bill that would curb his ability to take military action against Iran. The Senate came up short of the two-thirds majority, and it voted 49-44, with seven GOP senators joining Democrats. Seven Republicans broke with Trump: Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Todd Young of Indiana, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined Democrats in February to pass the bill, but he did not vote Thursday. Trump on Wednesday night,...

Both chambers of the US Congress on Wednesday gave final approval to a resolution to restrain President Donald Trump from attacking Iran. The vote comes after months of soaring tensions between the US and Iran. The House of Representatives voted 227-186 to join the Senate in support of the resolution. The measure would prevent any military action against Iran without Congress voting for it explicitly. However, the resolution is likely to be vetoed by Trump, due to the lack of a majority within the Democratic Party and divergent Republicans. […] The resolution “sends a clear message that American people don’t...

Republicans are fuming over a planned move by Democrats to consider Iran legislation alongside a commemorative coin bill, saying the floor maneuver is designed to prevent changes to the Democratic-backed measures reining in President Trump’s ability to wage war. The legislative maneuver would prevent House Republicans from using a procedural tool to alter the two Iran bills at the eleventh hour since the measures would be tacked on as amendments to the coin bill. GOP lawmakers accused Democrats of attempting to silence them and said the move would set a bad precedent. “If that's the games they're going to play,...

What do the Iranian people, who have turned out in droves to protest their own government, know that many members of Congress don’t? They realize it’s their leaders who represent a grave threat to the future of their own country and world peace, not the president of the United States. Too many in Congress have let their personal disdain for President Donald Trump cloud their obligation to ensure the safety of Americans at home and abroad. Some have apologized to the Iranian regime that has backed repeated attacks against U.S. personnel and our embassy in Iraq. A majority in the...

Matt Gaetz's campaign website features press quotes describing the Florida Republican as "Trump's best buddy," "Trump's ultimate defender," and "the Trumpiest congressman in Trump's Washington." Gaetz clearly was not driven by hatred of the president when he voted for last week's House resolution against an unauthorized war with Iran. Although it may be hard to believe in these hyper-partisan times, Gaetz, a self-described "constitutional conservative," was defending a principle he thinks is more important than loyalty to one man or one party. He was standing up for the legislative branch's long-neglected but crucial role in deciding when the country should...

To say that conservative talk radio host Mark Levin isn't happy with Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee would be an understatement of epic proportions. The reason? Their decision to stand in front of leftwing-media cameras to blast the Trump administration after they were briefed on the decision to take out Iranian Terror General Qasem Soleimani. "Code Pink Republicans," as Levin called them, misinterpret the United States Constitution by pretending it's a libertarian or even populist document, which it is not. "The briefing lasted only 75 minutes, whereupon our briefers left," Lee said afterward. "This, however, is not the biggest...

Mark Levin declared the War Powers Act of 1973 "unconstitutional" and criticized lawmakers who cited it as a reason to support a similar resolution passed Thursday in the House of Representatives as an intended check on President Trump's power to take military action. "The War Powers Act of 1973 is unconstitutional," Levin said on "The Mark Levin Show" on Westwood One. The resolution requires a president seeking to engage in military conflict --whether through the declaration of war or "response to a national emergency created by [an] attack upon the United States, its territories, possessions or armed forces"-- obtain the...

President Trump was headlining his first campaign rally of the election year Thursday in Ohio flush with cash, chafing at a potential Senate impeachment trial and aiming to capitalize on his order to take out Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani after the military leader was said to have orchestrated an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. Almost immediately, Trump slammed Democrats' nonbinding War Powers Resolution, which they passed earlier in the day in a rebuke to the Soleimani strike -- and suggested Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Rep. Adam Schiff, would have tipped off the media about...

In the wake of the strike ordered by President Trump that killed General Qasem Soleimani, many on the left have rushed to criticize Trump for retaliating against the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. 2020 Democrats, in particular, piled on Trump with condemnations. "President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox," said Biden. Cory Booker, who apparently is still in the race, claimed, "We have a president who has failed to show any larger strategic plan." Elizabeth Warren acknowledged that Soleimani was an evil terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, but also said,...

If you want to stop Donald Trump from making unilateral decisions regarding war and peace, then stop letting all presidents make unilateral decisions about war and peace. It's really quite simple. Trump can abruptly pull back U.S. troops from northern Syria because Congress, having abdicated its foreign policy responsibilities long ago, has no leverage to stop him. When Congress passed the War Powers Resolution as the Vietnam War was winding down, it gave the president the power to send troops abroad for 60 days in response to any "national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories...

Senate Republicans are scrambling to figure out the logistics of an unusual vote Friday that Democrats are insisting take place but most Republicans wish had happened earlier in the week so they could be gone for their July Fourth recess. The vote is on a Democrat-authored amendment to require President Donald Trump get congressional approval before carrying out military action against Iran. Democrats pressed GOP leaders to schedule the vote Friday so the Democratic senators running for the White House could attend Thursday night's presidential debate in Miami and then return to Washington for the vote. In another procedural twist,...

"The president has said that he does not want to see this country involved in endless wars... I agree with that," Bernie Sanders told the Fox News audience at Monday's town hall meeting in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Then turning and staring straight into the camera, Bernie added: "Mr. President, tonight you have the opportunity to do something extraordinary: Sign that resolution. Saudi Arabia should not be determining the military or foreign policy of this country." Sanders was talking about a War Powers Act resolution that would have ended U.S. involvement in the five-year civil war in Yemen that has created one...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rejecting a plank of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, the House on Thursday invoked never-before-used powers to demand that his administration withdraw support from the Saudi-led war in Yemen . The Senate passed the same resolution in March with bipartisan support. Trump is expected to issue a veto of the measure , his second as president, and Congress does not have the votes to override him.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has asked Speaker Paul Ryan to call the House back in session immediately to begin debate on an Authorization of the Use of Military Force for any further action in Syria. She sent him the following letter on Friday urging him to disrupt the two-week recess.

<p>Neither Republicans nor Democrats knew the majority leader planned to set up a debate on authorizing the use of force against the Islamic State.</p> <p>Sen­ate Ma­jor­ity Lead­er Mitch Mc­Con­nell offered mem­bers a snow-week­end sur­prise late Wed­nes­day night: Quietly tee­ing up a de­bate on the leg­al un­der­pin­ning for the fight against IS­IS.</p>

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) is the only major Republican likely 2016 presidential candidate who hasn't weighed in on the controversy over Indiana's "religious freedom" law that erupted this week — and his explanation for avoiding the issue is questionable.

The United States and its allies carried out 29 separate airstrikes targeting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq on Friday, according to the Combined Joint Task Force. The strikes occurred between Friday and Saturday morning, and targeted a range of Islamic State vehicles, buildings, and other positions, according to Reuters. Sixteen of the attacks occurred in seven different Iraqi cities. Vehicles, buildings, equipment and fighting positions were targeted, as well as Islamic State units, according to the task force. In Syria, 11 more airstrikes were conducted around the city of Kobani. Those strikes destroyed a tank and other fighting...

*****November 16, 2009*****".....The [Washington] Times compiled an informal list of the new rules from interviews with U.S. forces. Among them: • No night or surprise searches. • Villagers have to be warned prior to searches. • ANA or ANP must accompany U.S. units on searches. • U.S. soldiers may not fire at the enemy unless the enemy is preparing to fire first. • U.S. forces cannot engage the enemy if civilians are present. • Only women can search women. • Troops can fire at an insurgent if they catch him placing an IED but not if insurgents are walking away...

The Obama administration is open to limits on the duration of its military efforts in Iraq and Syria and on the potential use of ground forces in a new war authorization against the Islamic State, a top presidential adviser said Wednesday. Tony Blinken, currently President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said discussions would continue with Congress on updating the legal basis for the U.S. intervention. There has been no progress on an authorization in the two weeks since Obama vowed to coordinate with lawmakers on establishing a stronger legal basis for military action. That has prompted growing frustration among...