In the early hours of Thursday in Ukraine, Russia began a full-scale invasion of their neighbors after weeks of anticipation.
As of now, Biden has expressed no desire to send American troops into Ukraine, but if that time were to come, a bipartisan group of congressmen wants to ensure that he doesn’t unilaterally send troops to the Eastern European nation.
According to the Daily Wire, “the letter was written by Democratic Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio and Republican Ohio Representative Warren Davidson demanded that Biden defer to the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and get approval from Congress before engaging U.S. troops in hostilities between the two nations.”
The letter stated the following:
As you evaluate your possible course of action to address the potential conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we write to reassert the war powers vested in Congress under the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973. To date, you have rejected calls to station U.S. Armed Forces in Ukraine, stating that such an effort is “not on the table.” However, if the ongoing situation compels you to introduce the brave men and women of our military into Ukraine, their lives would inherently be put at risk if Russia chooses to invade. Therefore, we ask that your decisions comport with the Constitution and our nation’s laws by consulting with Congress to receive authorization before any such deployment.
The War Powers Act was passed in 1973 following the Vietnam War. Congress was trying to reign in the Executive Branch’s ability to unilaterally send troops to foreign nations without getting approval from Congress has the Constitutional power to declare war.
Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon had all sent troops into foreign lands without getting congressional approval for a declaration of war.
And current members of Congress want to ensure that Joe Biden wouldn’t take similar actions.