On the recordJune 16, 2016
As has been said by many of my colleagues, the constitutional responsibility to declare war is that of Congress. So how is it that this Congress and the Congresses that have preceded us since the hostilities in the Middle East began have failed to even debate an Authorization for Use of Military Force. That is our duty. We are divided by many things, and we see the world in different ways, but we all have a fundamental responsibility to abide by the Constitution, which governs our conduct, the House of Representatives--the Congress of the United States, the Representatives of the people. The people are the ones, ultimately, who bear the burden of any conflict, and they are entitled to our vote, yes or no, in engaging in war. The second thing: a lot of concern--sometimes legitimate, sometimes debatable--as to overreach by an executive. How is it that we can make that complaint if we cede our constitutional responsibility by irresponsibly failing to exercise it to an executive? Congress must act.
