I made this video shortly after learning that Trump ordered airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
It got a lot of attention on my social media platforms, but since it was a quick video, I wanted to dig deeper. So let’s break down what really happened, and why it’s not just reckless, but unconstitutional.
Trump got no Congressional approval for these airstrikes. No briefing with the full “Gang of Eight.” And, despite what the War Powers Resolution of 1973 explicitly requires, no notice to Congress within 48 hours.
He had 48 hours to make it right. He didn’t.
Quick refresher: The War Powers Resolution was passed in 1973, right after the disaster of Vietnam, when Congress finally decided to rein in the presidency’s blank-check approach to war.
Presidents had been sending troops into conflicts without real accountability. The law was supposed to restore checks and balances to make sure Congress, not just the president, decides when we go to war.
It requires three things:
1) Consult with Congress before hostilities begin
2) Notify Congress within 48 hours if military force is used
3) Get Congressional authorization within 60 days or withdraw.
The law gives the president a grace period in case of emergencies. But even after the strikes, Trump stayed silent. Members of Congress found out the same way we did—scrolling through social media.
And let’s be honest, this is giving Iraq redux. A president citing vague threats. No debate. Bombs dropped in the Middle East with no plan, no oversight, and no accountability. I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending: forever wars, destabilized regions, and another generation sent to clean up the mess.
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Let’s talk about the excuses.
Trump’s defenders are already spinning:
“He’s Commander-in-Chief.” (Cool. The law still applies.)
“Old AUMFs cover it.” (They don’t. Iran wasn’t part of that.)
“It was a limited strike.” (Multiple nuclear sites. That’s not limited.)
And sure, other presidents have ignored the War Powers Act too. Clinton. Obama. Biden. But that’s not a defense, it’s a pattern. A dangerous one.
And Trump? He’s not just repeating it, he’s escalating it.
No notification. No legal justification. Just vibes, as Rolling Stone reported, and violence.
Lawmakers are calling it out:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the strike unconstitutional and demanded accountability.
Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie (yes, a Republican) introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to rein Trump in.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said Trump ignored the Constitution.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries accused him of trying to lie his way into another Middle East war.
Rep. Jared Huffman called it an act of war without Congressional consent—the exact thing the War Powers Act was written to prevent.
Senator Chris Murphy said Iran posed “no imminent threat” and condemned the airstrikes as an illegal escalation, warning it could drag the U.S. into yet another war in the Middle East.
If both Republicans and Democrats in Congress don’t push back, then we’re in real danger. That said, I’m not holding my breath.
The War Powers Resolution is intended to stop presidents from dragging the U.S. into armed conflicts without Congressional approval. But now, it’s becoming more and more of a prop. A suggestion.
A relic from a democracy we’re letting slip away.
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