Kucinich calls on Congress to end wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan through War Powers Resolution
December 10, 2009 @ 12:38 am
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The Founders of the US Constitution intended that the power to wage war reside directly under the authority of the peoples’ representatives in Congress. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (also known as the War Powers Act) has several provisions, but we’ll focus on this part in the section on Congressional Action:
"…at any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the United States, its possessions and territories without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs by concurrent resolution."
A concurrent resolution of Congress requires a majority vote of the members of the Senate and the House.