A recently resurfaced video of then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) may be a stumbling block for Democrats who are all too eager to insist that President Donald Trump does not have the authority to take military action against Iran without first getting a permission slip from Congress.
Pelosi, after then-President Barack Obama took similar criticism for striking Libya in 2011, defended his actions and claimed that he did not need authorization from Congress before engaging in military action.
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“Madam Speaker — Madam Leader, you’re saying that the president did not need authorization initially and still does not need any authorization from Congress on Libya?” a reporter asked her.
Pelosi replied with just one word — “Yes” — before she concluded the briefing.
But Pelosi has either forgotten her previous statements, changed her tune in the intervening years — or, because of a change in presidents — said exactly the opposite when Trump authorized Operation Epic Fury.
“President Trump’s decision to initiate military hostilities into Iran starts another unnecessary war which endangers our service members and destabilizes an already fragile region. The Constitution is clear: decisions that lead our nation into war must be authorized by Congress,” she claimed on Saturday, as American and Israeli forces executed joint strikes against the Iranian regime.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) offered a similar take, saying, “Trump ripped up the Iran nuclear deal and created this mess. Now, he’s putting service members in harm’s way with no clear plan and no Congressional approval. The American people deserve answers — and Congress needs to do its job.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said essentially the same, arguing that Trump had “single-handedly” started a full-scale war in Iran, adding, “‘America first’ doesn’t mean dragging the United States into another forever war built on lies while ignoring the needs of Americans here at home. The Constitution is clear: only Congress can declare war. The Senate must come back in session immediately to vote up or down on a War Powers Resolution.”
But Pelosi’s own prior defense of Obama (not to mention the War Powers Resolution of 1973) stands in direct opposition to those claims.
The War Powers Resolution, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted on Monday, only requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours once hostilities have begun — and further allows him to wage war for 60 days, with an additional 30 days for any necessary troop drawdowns, without a vote from Congress authorizing the action.
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