U.S. lawmakers have few options for tamping down any escalation by Trump of tensions with Iran, despite Democrats’ outrage over his failure to inform Congress in advance about a strike against a top Iranian military commander
WASHINGTON - U.S. lawmakers have few options for tamping down any escalation by President Donald Trump of tensions with Iran, despite Democrats’ outrage over his failure to inform Congress in advance about a strike against a top Iranian military commander.
But with Trump’s fellow Republicans in control of the Senate and showing little inclination to break from their party’s leader, there is scant expectation any legislation could win enough support to become law. Under the U.S. War Powers Act, the president must inform Congress within 48 hours of introducing military forces into armed conflict abroad. Those notifications normally detail the justification for the intervention.
Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to say his posts would serve as notification to Congress that the country “will quickly & fully strike back” if Iran strikes any U.S. person or target, and that he had no legal requirement to inform Congress.Legal experts disagreed, saying the war powers law required a formal report to Congress, and did not allow such a blanket clearance ahead of time, especially not via social media.
Congress’ main power over the president is its control of federal spending, and the Democratic-controlled House could pass legislation that would bar Trump from spending any taxpayer dollars on a conflict with Iran.
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