Vol. 42, No. 06
06/01/2026
The President vs. Congress: Who Possesses What War Powers?
AT A GLANCE
• The Founding Fathers did not want one man to decide when to take the country to war.
• The Constitution granted Congress the power to declare war.
• The Founders preferred the word “declare” to “make” because they recognized the president may need to repel a sudden attack.
• When Trump attacked Iran without seeking a declaration of war, there was no “imminent” threat.
Under the U.S. Constitution, who possesses the war-making powers? Is it the president, the Congress, or a shared responsibility between these two branches of government? If the latter, how are the powers divided?
How about the Iran war?
According to President Donald Trump, he possessed the constitutional authority to launch the war without congressional approval. And he did not seek congressional approval. Two days after launching Operation Epic Fury on February 28, he informed Congress in a letter: “I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests. I acted pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct United States foreign relations.”
Premium Content
The full article includes detailed analysis of Massie's legislative strategy, exclusive quotes from the interview, and insider information about upcoming votes.
Log In to Continue Reading
- 12 Issues Per Year
- Digital Edition Access
- Digital Insider Report
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime
- Renews automatically
- 12 Issues Per Year
- Print edition delivery (USA) *Available Outside USA
- Digital Edition Access
- Digital Insider Report
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime
- Renews automatically