Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said President Donald Trump was “absolutely not” following the War Powers Act.
Host Kristen Welker said, “President Trump, as you know, sent a letter to Congress arguing he does not need congressional approval because the ceasefire paused the clock effectively. Do you think the administration is following the law?”
Schiff said, “No. Absolutely not. And it’s important to recognize that this war was unlawful, unconstitutional from the start. We didn’t have to wait 60 days to reach that conclusion, because under the Constitution, only Congress can initiate, authorize or declare war. The only exceptions are if the United States is attacked or there’s an imminent threat of attack, then the president can take action in the near term. That’s when the 60-day clock begins. If there’s a legitimate reason to begin the war at the start, and there wasn’t here. This is a war of choice, which has now brought a terrible cost in 13 service members who lost their lives, scores of others injured, many seriously injured, highest gas prices now in years, it’s pushed inflation up to a high in several years. And of course, the opportunity cost is that we can’t invest in hospitals and health care and things that would improve the quality of life for Americans.”
He added, “But this war was plagued from the start. It’s also important, in terms of the War Powers Act, that Susan Collins’s quote illustrates: she’s accurate that it dictates that U.S. forces have to be removed after 60 days unless Congress has intervened to authorize action. We haven’t. The Navy is still deployed. It is still blockading Iranian ports. It is still interdicting ships. There is no exception for the U.S. Navy to the War Powers Act. So what, Mr. Bland said, is absolutely wrong. I think they understand that. And what’s more, the president’s claim at the outset of your segment that no president has sought an authorization to use force is also simply wrong. George W Bush, of course, did both in Afghanistan and with the Iraq War.”
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