EXCERPT:
JAYAPAL: “It is the latter. It is that the president engaged in these strikes without seeking congressional approval. And this is a long debated issue, of course, because Article One of the Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress, Article Two gives the power to the president to direct military forces as commander-in-chief. And so, just backing up, in 1973, amidst a, you know, the disastrous war in Vietnam, and the ways in which the United States was pulled into that conflict little by little, Congress decided to reassert our congressional authority by passing the War Powers Resolution of 1973. And in the War Powers Resolution, it’s specifically articulated the instances where the president can initiate use of force and military actions that commit United States forces. And there were three instances. One was a declaration of war. Two is statutory authority is given. And three is instances where the United States faces an emergency attack on the United States or on its possessions or territories. Now, the intent here was to say that the president must be in consultation whenever possible with Congress.”