US lawmakers reject Biden's allegations of military attacks in Syria

Washington-Sana

More than 30 US lawmakers from both parties rejected the justifications made by the Joe Biden administration regarding the US military attacks in Syria.

Politico newspaper reported that lawmakers sent a letter to Biden questioning his administration's justification for bypassing Congress and its powers before launching military attacks inside Syria, pointing out that the US administration bypassed Congress and violated the Constitution in this regard.

"We are deeply concerned by your administration's serious allegations that Article II of the US Constitution allows you to bypass Congressional authorization to launch strikes inside Syria, and we are deeply concerned by your administration's allegations that The broad scope of my activities as part of the continuing US occupation of a large swath of Syrian territory is justified by the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force.”

"These allegations raise serious constitutional questions about the unmonitored military activities of the Executive Branch in Syria and Iraq without congressional approval and could lead to actions that perpetuate the United States' involvement in endless wars abroad," the lawmakers continued, saying in the letter.

“The Biden administration should respect the authority of Congress to authorize war and immediately provide transparent explanations about unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Syria and the region, as well as its position on the legal powers to wage war and allow U.S. military action,” said Representative DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon.

The US Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, but this power was transferred to the president after Congress passed laws that give permission for the use of military force. Successive US administrations, including the Biden administration, have used this power to launch repeated attacks on Syria.

Last June, the US House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2002 authorization of the use of military force, which allowed then US President George W. Bush to make the decision to invade Iraq in 2003.