Wendy Sherman: “Vote against the rule, vote against the bill. But the bill does contain one provision that I want to applaud the…”

“Vote against the rule, vote against the bill. But the bill does contain one provision that I want to applaud the committee for including, and that is section 8907, which states: ``None of the funds made available by this act may be used in contravention of the War Powers Act.'' I first proposed this language in 2011. It failed at first, but now it has been included in every Defense Appropriations bill since FY12. It is necessary to enforce the War Powers Act because every Attorney General since the 1970s has advised Presidents that the War Powers Act isn't binding on the President, and that the President can send unlimited numbers of troops anywhere in the world to fight any battle without a declaration of war. That is why we need this language, because Attorney General Mukasey, a Republican Attorney General, testified before the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday that by including this language in the appropriations bill, Congress enforces the War Powers Act and its proper role in international affairs. I thank the committee for including this language.”