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Trump, Congress Spar Over Iran War Powers

Katherine Gypson

   CAPITOL HILL - The U.S. House of Representatives will vote this week on
   legislation aimed at preventing the engagement of U.S. forces with Iran
   unless Congress gives its approval.
   The vote comes after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike
   last week that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, escalating
   regional tensions and leading many congressional Democrats to express
   concerns the move could lead to open war between the U.S. and Iran.
   How does the US declare war?

   According to Article I of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the
   authority to declare war, while Article II gives the president the
   responsibility of being the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The
   framers of the Constitution deliberately split these powers among
   branches of the U.S. government to prevent an unconsidered, unilateral
   move toward war.
   Throughout American history, the legislative and executive branches
   have clashed over the interpretation of these powers as laid out in the
   Constitution. These questions increased as American conflicts abroad --
   including U.S. involvements in Korea and Vietnam -- became increasingly
   difficult to define and occurred without an official declaration of
   war. The last time Congress passed an official declaration of war was
   almost 80 years ago, during World War II.

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