Joe Biden is already the subject of an impeachment inquiry that Democrats claim is purely partisan — it’s not, but that’s what they’re saying — so it’s significant that even Democrats are now accusing Joe Biden of committing an impeachable offense.
On Thursday, the United States joined with the United Kingdom in launching airstrikes in Yemen.
“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” Biden said in a statement. "These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. These attacks have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation."
There’s just one huge problem: Joe Biden never sought authorization from Congress. And now, lawmakers are blasting Biden for waging an unconstitutional act of war — including Democrats.
"[Joe Biden] is violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said in a post on X/Twitter. “The American people are tired of endless war.”
“The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) agreed. "That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.”
"Section 2C of the War Powers Act is clear: POTUS may only introduce the U.S. into hostilities after Congressional authorization or in a national emergency when the U.S. is under imminent attack. Reporting is not a substitute,” he added. "This is a retaliatory, offensive strike."
"These airstrikes have NOT been authorized by Congress. The Constitution is clear: Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorization, regardless of party,” Rep. Val Hoyle, (D-Ore.) said.
Several Republicans seemed almost shocked that Democrats were willing to call out Biden for violating the Constitution.
"I totally agree with [Ro Khanna]. The Constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said on X/Twitter.
Some have disputed this characterization, suggesting that the War Powers Act of 1973 grants the president authority to take military action for a limited time without congressional approval. But former Rep. Justin Amash says this interpretation of the law is false.
One of the most frequently misrepresented federal statutes—often falsely used to justify unconstitutional presidential war powers—is the War Powers Resolution (or Act) (50 U.S.C. §§ 1541-1550).
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) January 12, 2024
If only more people would read it.
Contrary to what you may have heard about the War…
Biden himself argued that a president doesn’t have the authority to take military action without congressional approval when Trump was president.
"Let's be clear: Donald Trump does not have the authority to take us into war with Iran without Congressional approval,” he said back in 2020 after the airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. "A president should never take this nation to war without the informed consent of the American people."
The issue of presidential authority and war powers has long been debated, and I don’t expect it to be resolved any time soon. But Democrats, whether they realize it or not, are essentially accusing Joe Biden of violating the Constitution by unilaterally committing an act of war without congressional approval, which sounds like an impeachable offense.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member