As President Donald Trump escalates U.S. military pressure on Venezuela and drug trafficking networks in the Western Hemisphere, Republicans on Capitol Hill are facing a question: When, if ever, does the president need Congress’ permission?
So far, there’s no consensus. Republicans have largely rallied behind Trump’s campaign, but many struggle or decline to define where congressional authority should begin.
House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast told NOTUS last week that congressional authorization becomes relevant “at a point that you’re doing something beyond responding to an imminent threat, something that’s a sustained action, which is what war powers call for.”