President Trump’s recent unilateral military actions against Venezuela, including large-scale strikes and the capture of Venezuela’s head of state, were undertaken without congressional authorization.

 

The power to authorize war belongs to Congress, not the president acting alone. The U.S. Constitution is clear that acts of war require approval by the legislative branch, except in cases of immediate self-defense. The president did not seek, and Congress did not grant, such authorization.

 

Military action undertaken without democratic debate, legal authority, or accountability has historically resulted in regional instability, civilian harm, and long-term damage to U.S. credibility. Recent U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean, for example, have killed people who posed no immediate threat to the United States, including survivors of earlier attacks. This shows why decisions about war should involve Congress and not be made by a president acting alone. Congress must reassert its authority and uphold one of America's founding principles; namely, that the power to declare war is held by the people's representatives, not the executive branch.

 

We are gravely concerned with the cost to human life, our moral standing as a nation, and our economic futures, all leveraged in favor of violating the sovereignty of a foreign nation as an apparent pretense for seeking control of its natural resources.

 

Our resolution reaffirms Congress’s exclusive war-making authority, declares that unauthorized military action violates U.S. law, urges the president to seek congressional approval for any continued or future hostilities, and urges Congress to take all necessary and prudent actions to hold the executive branch accountable to its obligations and duties to the American people.

 

This resolution is a defense of constitutional checks and balances, democratic oversight, and the rule of law. We respectfully ask you to join us as a co-sponsor on this critical resolution.