The War Powers Resolution Is Not What You’ve Been Told

According to The Hill, in an article typical of U.S. media, Trump’s war on Iran is totally legal for 60 days if Congress does nothing, after which it becomes illegal, unless Congress has explicitly OK’d it. This is supposedly because of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. And The Hill is not alone in pushing this idea. Fox News agrees with The Hill. So does Time. So does USA Today. So does The Washington Post. So does Roll Call. So does Politico. So does every AI bot infecting the internet.

However, the War Powers Resolution consists of words that you can read for yourself, and here are some of them:

“The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”