US EditionPresidents Don't Always Need Congressional Approval for Military Actions -- Just Ask Obama
UNITED STATES, JUN 23 – Presidents have cited imminent threats and constitutional authority to act without Congress, with 72 bombs dropped daily overseas in 2016, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
- On June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, exemplifying routine unilateral military action without prior congressional approval and raising constitutional questions.
- Presidents since Clinton have invoked Article II, citing imminent threats, to justify military actions like Kosovo, Libya, Syria, and Biden’s 2021 strikes, often bypassing Congress.
- The War Powers Resolution mandates 48-hour notification; in 2016, the US military dropped over 25,000 bombs across at least seven nations, averaging 72 daily, showing extensive scope.
- Congressional critics, including Rep. Thomas Massie, introduced a War Powers Resolution amendment, condemning Trump’s Iran strike as a constitutional violation, amid bipartisan dissent.
- Experts say presidential war powers have expanded over 25 years, with diminished congressional control and US special operators active in 138 countries by 2016.
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The recent US use of bunker buster bombs in the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordo and Isfahan has caused great controversy in global security circles. Although this type of weapon has existed for more than half a century, it has not been widely used until now.
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Presidents of both parties have launched military action without ...
·San Francisco, United States
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A post on X said that former US President Barack Obama ordered the dropping of 26,171 bombs on seven countries in 2016 without the permission of the US Congress. Is this true?
Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left7Leaning Right5Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Left
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Left
47% Left
L 47%
C 20%
R 33%
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