Congress leaves Trump with unlimited war powers
Congress leaves Trump with unlimited war powers
Austin Wright
Politico
For much of President Barack Obama's second term, Congress sought to pass a formal authorization for the war against the Islamic State — both to signal the country’s resolve and to provide a check on the president's unfettered war powers.
That failure to act now means Donald Trump will effectively have free rein to wage what he calls a global U.S. war on radical Islam, a prospect that terrifies many Democrats.
Without a new military authorization, the ongoing U.S. war on terrorism will continue to be bound by the measure approved 15 years ago after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
That existing resolution authorizes force against those who aided or took part in the 2001 attacks — and has generally been interpreted as targeting “Al Qaeda and associated forces.” It has no time frame or geographic limitations — and the Bush and Obama administrations have invoked it as justification to go after suspected terrorists all over the world, from the Philippines to the Horn of Africa, and even on the “high seas,” according to the Congressional Research Service. It has been the legal justification for drone strikes, special forces raids and many other types of U.S. military operations.