January 9, 2020 4:10 a.m.
On Wednesday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced a bipartisan resolution to underscore that any future war must be considered and authorized by Congress.
A release from the Senators, said the resolution clarifies that neither the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force passed before the September 11th attacks, nor the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq legally justify the use of military force against Iran.
Merkley led the resolution along with Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who serves alongside him on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The release said the resolution comes after days of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran that have put American service members at risk and created significant setbacks to U.S. goals in the region. Those goals include decreasing Iranian influence in Iraq, protecting American lives and assets in the Middle East, and restricting the Iranian nuclear program.
Merkley said “it’s time for the Senate to send a clear message: The cost of sending our sons and daughters into danger is too great for any one president to make a singlehanded decision to send our nation into war”.
Wyden said “Our country is a nation of laws, and Trump can’t be allowed to scheme his way around those laws to go off on erratic and risky overseas adventures that endanger lives”.
The Senators announced the resolution shortly after receiving a classified briefing from top Administration officials.