President Joe Biden’s recent airstrike against militia groups supported by Iran in Syria has Democrats questioning the White House’s legal authority to carry out military actions without consulting Congress, Politico reports.
"The American people deserve to hear the Administration’s rationale for these strikes and its legal justification for acting without coming to Congress," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.
"Offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances," he continued. "Congress must be fully briefed on this matter expeditiously."
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, noted that "retaliatory strikes, not necessary to prevent an imminent threat, must fall within the definition of an existing congressional authorization of military force."
He added, "Congress should hold this administration to the same standard it did prior administrations, and require clear legal justifications for military action, especially inside theaters like Syria, where Congress has not explicitly authorized any American military action."
Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that there was “absolutely no justification” for the airstrike.
"This makes President Biden the seventh consecutive U.S. president to order strikes in the Middle East," she said.
"We need to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate. The President should not be taking these actions without seeking explicit authorization instead of relying on broad, outdated [AUMFs]," Khanna continued. "I spoke against endless war with Trump, and I will speak out against it when we have a Democratic President."
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Politico that a classified briefing will be provided to legislators next week, possibly “sooner if Congress wants it.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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