On March 7, 2012, the Senate Committee on Armed Services held a hearing to discuss the situation in Syria. During his testimony, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was asked whether the administration planned to consult with Congress about U.S. options for addressing the ongoing violence in Syria. Secretary Panetta replied that “our goal would be to seek international permission. And we would come to the Congress and inform you and determine how best to approach this.” According to a Department of Defense official, Secretary Panetta’s comments were intended to “emphasize the need for an international mandate,” and that the administration was “not ceding U.S. decision-making authority to some foreign body.”
The same day, Representative Walter Jones of North Carolina introduced H.C.R. 107, Expressing the sense of Congress that the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under Article II, section 4 of the Constitution. This legislation has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. No corresponding legislation has been introduced in the Senate. Should similar legislation come before the Senate for consideration, please be assured that I will have your concerns in mind.
The United States Constitution gives Congress the exclusive power to declare war. In addition, the War Powers Resolution is intended to ensure that Congress is directly involved in decisions to commit U.S. military resources around the world. It stipulates that the President can only exercise his or her powers as Commander in Chief “to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances… pursuant to a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization, or a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.” As your United States Senator, I take very seriously my responsibility to oversee U.S. military operations and executive branch activities related to our national security.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
P.S. If you would like to respond to this message, please use the contact form on my website: http://casey.senate.gov/contact/
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