Senate War Powers Resolution Vote Is First Step in Reclaiming Constitutional Powers

In response to today’s Senate vote on a War Powers Resolution introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) amid an escalating war in Iran, Issue One Vice President of Advocacy Alix Fraser issued the following statement:

“The Constitution entrusts Congress to declare war — not the president. Today’s Senate vote on Sens. Tim Kaine’s and Rand Paul’s War Powers Resolution is the first step in setting a precedent to reclaim war powers from the president. We thank Kaine and Paul for bringing this resolution to the floor in a bipartisan manner and Paul for his bravery in standing up and exercising Congress’ Article I responsibilities. War puts the lives of American military personnel at risk, and the potential economic fallout is massive. The disruption of energy supply chains risks raising the price of everything from fuel to food for everyday Americans. This is why the representatives of we the people must make this decision.

“We hope that tomorrow, the House will follow the Senate’s lead and vote on a War Powers Resolution. Even if the House votes down a War Powers Resolution like the Senate, this will be an important step in reclaiming our experiment in self-government that our founders intended.

“It is clear that more must be done to ensure that Congress plays its constitutional role. In two months, President Trump has started military conflicts in Iran and Venezuela without Congressional approval, and it seems likely he will continue this course unless Congress steps up and reasserts its power. The We the People Playbook — led by Issue One alongside Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), RepresentUS, Principles First, and The Chamberlain Network — offers suggestions for shortening the window for unauthorized military actions and cutting off funding for wars that Congress does not authorize. If Congress enacted the reforms suggested here, this would put the people back in control about decisions on if and when our country wages war.”

Background

As mentioned above, Issue One’s We the People Playbook provides a framework for ending the executive branch’s unilateral action around declarations of war. Issue One coordinated with Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), RepresentUS, Principles First, and The Chamberlain Network to develop policy recommendations that would receive broad, bipartisan support and insert them into this playbook. Last week, these groups banded together ahead of the president’s State of the Union address to call on Congress to stop executive branch overreach, including on the issue of war powers.