Charlotte Howard, our New York bureau chief, on the president’s efforts to stretch America’s war powers—and lawmakers’ reluctance to stop him https://t.co/R5DKjcBZkZ ...

The Senate is going to vote later today on a bipartisan bill to block the US US military from conducting strikes against Venezuela without approval from Congress. The administration so far has launched 16 strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, alleging without evidence that those boats were trafficking drugs to the United States. The US military is also building up forces in the waters off South America as the president considers strikes within Venezuela.A similar vote on a similar war power ...

US Foreign Policy & Military Action - US Presidents have historically taken military action without prior Congressional approval, informing Congress after the fact [2] - The recent strike was executed successfully due to deception regarding the exact time and place [4] - The speaker defends the President's actions, citing precedents set by previous administrations [5] - A Republican colleague, Thomas Massie, views the action as unconstitutional and is pushing for a War Powers resolution [10] - If a protracted conflict with Iran occurs, Congressional approval for war powers would be necessary [12] Iran Nuclear Program & Regional Influence - Iran enriched uranium to 60%, a level useful only for nuclear weapons, indicating non-compliance [8] - The US aims to diminish Iran's ability to export terrorism and encourage them to focus on their own people [14] - The Iranian regime has been killing Americans since the early 1980s [9] - Iran's actions have destabilized the Middle East, particularly Lebanon, through support of Hezbollah [17] - The US seeks to prevent Iran from disrupting the international order, particularly regarding nuclear ambitions and control of straits [19][20] Geopolitical Implications - China and Russia are opportunistic but unlikely to directly confront the US [20] - Weapons from Iran, with Chinese assistance, have been used in Russia against Ukrainians [22]