Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Washington, SANA- More than 30 US lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties have rejected the justifications made by the Joe Biden administration regarding US military attacks in Syria.
Politico newspaper reported that lawmakers sent a letter to Biden questioning his administration’s justification for bypassing Congress and its powers before launching military attacks inside Syria.
It noted that the US administration bypassed Congress and violated the Constitution in this regard.
“We are deeply troubled by your administration’s dangerous claim that Article II of the Constitution permits you to bypass Congressional authorization to perform strikes inside Syria, as well as your administration’s claim that the wide range of activities that you have undertaken as part of the ongoing U.S. occupation of a large swath of Syrian territory is justified by the Authorization for Use of Military Force … of 2001,” wrote the lawmakers, led by Democrat Reps. Peter Defazio and Jamal Bowman, and the Republican Rep. Nancy Mace.
They added “These claims raise serious constitutional questions about unchecked military activities conducted by the Executive Branch in Syria and Iraq without approval from Congress, and they could lead to actions that prolong the U.S.’s involvement in ‘endless wars’ overseas.”
Democrat Rep. Defazio said “The Biden administration must respect Congress’s constitutional war powers authority and immediately provide transparency regarding unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Syria and the region, as well as its position on legal authorities to wage war and authorize U.S. military action.”
The US constitution grants the Congress the power to declare war, but this power was transferred to the president after Congress passed laws that give permission for the use of military force. Successive US administrations, including the Biden administration, have used this power to launch repeated attacks on Syria.
Last June, the US House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2002 authorization of the use of military force, which allowed the then US President George W. Bush to make the decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
