(LibertySons.org) – Three US Army soldiers died in Jordan at the end of January when an unmanned drone struck a base housing American military members. More than 40 more suffered injuries in the attack. President Joe Biden launched retaliatory air strikes in response, and he has now sent notice to Congress about the military’s actions.
On Friday, February 2, the US launched strikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. The strikes were aimed at Iranian-backed militant groups who the Pentagon believes are responsible for the deaths of the American soldiers. According to the Department of Justice, the strikes were on intelligence centers, bunkers, weapons facilities, and command and control operations used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force.
Two days later, on Sunday, the White House sent a letter to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the president pro tempore of the Senate, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (D-LA) informing them of the air strikes. According to the letter, the attacks by the Iranian-backed militants “have placed a grave threat” on the lives of US personnel and their allies. Biden said he carried out the strikes pursuant to Public Law 107-40, the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
Under the Constitution, Congress has the right to declare war. However, the AUMF allows the president to authorize military strikes unilaterally without the permission of lawmakers.
Speaker Johnson has not commented on the president’s notification to Congress, but he criticized the air strikes. The Republican leader said the killing of American troops “demanded a clear and forceful response,” but that isn’t what happened. He said Biden “waited for a week and telegraphed to the world […] the nature of [America’s] response.” He accused the president of placating Iran and told him to admit his policies were failures.
https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1753592665952645343
Republicans wanted the president to launch military strikes inside Iran. The Biden administration refused.
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