NEW WARS / OLD WARS – What Could Possibly Go Wrong

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NEW WARS / OLD WARS – What Could Possibly Go Wrong

Congressional Legislation to Restrain a First Strike on North Korea

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) led more than 60 members of Congress in introducing new bipartisan, bicameral legislation to ensure that President Donald Trump cannot attack North Korea without the approval of Congress by prohibiting any expenditure of funds for such a strike. The No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea Act of 2017 restricts funds available to the Department of Defense or to any other federal department or agency from being used to launch a military strike against North Korea without the prior approval of Congress or the imperative to respond to an attack against the United States or its allies. Recent polling demonstrates that more than two-thirds of the American people believe that the United States should attack North Korea only if North Korea attacks first.    More

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4140n

Mass Cosponsors McGovern, Capuano, Clark Tsongas

S.2016 - A bill to prevent an unconstitutional strike against North Korea.

Cosponsors Sens Warren, Merkley, Sanders  (I-VT)

Also:

Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts) introduced H.R. 669 and S. 200, the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017

McGovern and Clark cosponsors in House

11 Cosponsors in Senate, incl. Eliz Warren

S.2047 - A bill to restrict the use of funds for kinetic military operations in North Korea

7 cosponsors, incl. Warren and Sanders

Tell Congress: Take back your authority to debate and vote on authorizing war

Please email your representative and senators today. Ask your senators to cosponsor S. 2016 and S. 2047, and tell your representative to cosponsor H.R. 4140.

House Rules Committee Guts Challenge to Yemen War Legality

House Concurrent Resolution 81 is effectively dead, following a surprise bit of sleight of hand by the House Rules Committee. The resolution demanded an end to US involvement in the Saudi invasion of Yemen, on the grounds that such involvement was never authorized under the War Powers Act.  Under the War Powers Act, any Congressman is able to bring such a legal challenge, and is guaranteed a floor vote on the matter. The H.Con.Res. 81 challenge was offered in early October, and delayed until November 2.  November 1 rolled around, however, and House leadership quickly forced through a Rules Committee vote which changed the rules on H.Con.Res. 81, stripping it of its privileged status (which would have guaranteed a floor vote). Though the War Powers Act guarantees such a resolution privilege, the Rules Committee claimed Yemen doesn’t rise to the level of the War Powers Act applying.    More

STATEMENT ON HOUSE LEADERSHIP'S DECISION TO DE-PRIVILEGE H.CON.RES.81

"We are deeply disappointed that House leadership has again prevented a debate and vote on ending U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war effort in Yemen, which is largely responsible for the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. We remind the House leadership that under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, ‘introduction of United States Armed Forces' includes the assignment of member of such armed forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government when such military forces are engaged….’ U.S. refueling of Saudi and UAE planes bombing Houthi targets in Yemen meets that definition, therefore by law H.Con.Res.81 should have been privileged.   More