Dear Friend,
Hours after President Trump ordered airstrikes on Syrian airfields in
response to Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons attacks on his own
people, I wrote to Speaker Ryan urging him to call Congress back in to
session to debate any further use of military force in Syria.
The Constitution is clear: Article 1 section 8 provides Congress - not
the President - with the exclusive authority to declare war.
Further, the War Powers Resolution (WPR) establishes statutory requirements
the President must meet to use military force, regardless of whether the
use of force qualifies as war. Under the WPR, the President must notify
Congress within 48 hours of using force. Congress can then choose to provide
the President with authority to continue using force by declaring war,
enacting an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) - or neither.
As heartbreaking as Assad’s chemical weapons attacks on his own
people was, the crisis in Syria will not be resolved by one night of airstrikes.
The killing will not stop without a comprehensive political solution to
end the violence. The American people are owed a comprehensive strategy
with clear objectives to keep our brave men and women in uniform safe
and avoid collateral damage to innocent civilians in Syria. As I wrote
yesterday, the carnage in Syria has displaced over ten million people
— five million of them driven from the country, and more than half
of them children. Terrorized by Assad and ISIS, desperate for a place
to live in peace, they have received rejection from the U.S. under Trump's
immoral Muslim and refugee ban. We degrade our values and our security
when we slam the door in the face of children fleeing such atrocities.
Congress has not authorized a war declaration or an AUMF that allows for
military force in Syria against Assad. There is rightful concern about
further actions the President might take without Congressional approval
in response to Assad or Putin, especially because Trump has offered no
long term plan for Syria, presented no exit strategy for current military
action, proposed an immoral ban on Syrian refugees to our country, and
seeks drastic budget cuts to U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian assets.
For these reasons, Congress must do our duty under the Constitution: return
to Washington, receive the classified intelligence about U.S. military
actions in Syria, and vote any further response. So far, the GOP leadership
has rejected our request and has ignored the imperative for Congress to
fulfill its Constitutional duty.
It is imperative that the American people weigh in.
Please add your name to our petition, and demand that Congress return to
Washington to vote before any further military intervention in Syria.
Thanks,
Nancy Pelosi