Congress Is Ignoring Its Most Important Constitutional Duty

Daniel L. Davis

Politics, Americas

Capitol Hill keeps passing the buck.

According to the United States Constitution, Congress has the responsibility—not merely the ability, but the obligation—to declare war, raise and support armies, and to “make rules for the government and regulations of the land and naval forces.” As a body, the U.S. Congress has abdicated this crucial responsibility. This is not only a shame to the legislators but a disservice to the American people.

Fortunately, not every member of the House of Representatives fall into this category. This past Thursday a bipartisan group of seven Representatives held a press conference on the Capitol grounds to publicly encourage their colleagues to debate the deepening US military involvement in the greater Middle East.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and other legislators have filed amendments to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in an effort to force a broad congressional debate, especially related to the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). It’s not simply that Congress hasn’t debated the use of force in the war against ISIS. It’s that as a body they actively resist such debate.

“The American people,” Rep. Lee said, “deserve better than a Congress that abdicates this sacred responsibility.”  Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), who also attended last week’s press conference, called out his fellow representatives in a 2015 speech noting the House was “willing to send our troops into danger; we’re willing to spend billions upon billions of borrowed money for this war; but we’re not willing to carry out our Constitutional duty, the same Constitution we keep asking our troops to put their lives on the line to protect?”    

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