Syria Strike Creates Chance for Lawmakers to Reassert Congress’s War Powers

Since President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian military target used to carry out chemical weapons attacks on Syria two weeks ago there has been increased focus on whether Congress will provide an authorization for military operations in the wartorn country.

The Trump administration has said that its action against the Syrian base was only in response to the chemical attack — not a precursor to larger U.S. involvement — and that operations in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are allowed under a post-9/11 counterterrorism authorization. However, lawmakers in Congress are primed to reassert the legislature’s power in the war-making process.

The day before Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from U.S. Navy destroyers struck a Syrian airbase, a bipartisan pair of congressmen introduced a bill that would prohibit offensive military action in Syria without congressional authorization. Reps. Michael Capuano (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) both want Congress to give its consent before any further military operations occur in Syria, but so far a consensus on what an authorization would cover or when it'd be addressed hasn't been reached.

While it wouldn’t apply to actions taken against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, one proposal in Congress would authorize the use of military force against ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban. Sen. Todd Young’s (R-IN) resolution not only provides an authorization for use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS that some have waited more than two years for, it also repeals an AUMF for combatting the Taliban and Al Qaeda after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and another from 2002 which authorized the invasion of Iraq. Critics say those authorizations have been used to justify unending conflict since their adoption.

Congress hasn’t yet announced the legislative schedule for its returns from recess, but given that some lawmakers called for the Passover & Easter holiday break to be delayed so members could debate an authorization, the issue could soon find itself on the agenda.

Tell your reps if you think Congress should authorize additional military actions in Syria and if a new AUMF is needed to deal with ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban using the "Take Action" button.

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— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: U.S. Marine Corps via Wikimedia / Public Domain)