The War Powers Act authorizes President Donald Trump to further military action in Syria without authorization of Congress, Sen. Mike Rounds said Monday, but that doesn't mean it's not good public policy to have an open debate about it.
"In this particular case, you are talking about the use of chemical weapons," the South Dakota Republican told CNN's "New Day."
"If you are in the middle of the use of chemical weapons you need to be decisive. There has been a clear demarcation that this is not acceptable under anybody's terms."
Over the weekend, a chemical attack was launched on a suburb of Damascus believed to be one of the last remaining sections still held by forces rebelling against President Bashar al Assad's regime, killing and injuring dozens of people, including women and children.
"The question will be whether or not we can properly attribute who did the attack," said Rounds. "I think they will be able to do that. This should not be done in a knee jerk fashion. This should be done after proper consultation with military commanders.
The Commander of Central Command should also be involved in the discussions, and Defense Secretary James Mattis should be able to make recommendations to Trump about what his options are.
" I do believe that Congress should be advised as to the president's intention, but he does have a time period in which he can respond," said Rounds.
Congress has recognized before that a president has the ability to respond to issues in short order, said Rounds, but he noted that Congress must decide whether or not war is declared.
Rounds on Monday also discussed the ongoing controversy with EPA Director Scott Pruitt, saying he does not share other Republicans' calls for his resignation.
"I recognize that there are multiple attacks being made on Director Pruitt at this time," he said. "I understand that some of them are politically or policy-motivated. Some of them are raising fair questions if they are suggesting that he is spending too much money or whatever in terms of his security services.
"If you are going to start identifying that you have ethical problems because you are spending too much money on security I think you are on thin ground."
Rounds also commented on the news that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has thrown his hat in the race for senator against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson.
"Sen. Nelson is a friend of mine," said Rounds. "He is a hard worker. At the same time, we need votes. I know Gov. Scott is a great individual. I have known him for probably ten years now. We think alike when it comes to health care. I would welcome his inclusion into the race. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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