This week, the Senate is currently considering a bipartisan resolution that would restrict President Donald Trump's ability to wage war around the world, in the wake of his recent disastrous standoff with Iran and the strike that took out military leader Qassim Suleimani.
But according to Politico, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), one of Congress' most aggressive war hawks, plans to introduce an amendment that could blow apart the bipartisan consensus and reduce the resolution to something completely toothless.
Specifically, the amendment would carve out an exception for military operations against designated terrorist groups. This massive loophole could allow virtually any military action Trump desires, since nearly all of our military operations post-9/11 have to some extent been justified as being conducted as part of the war on terror, and the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force already uses counterterrorism as its basis.
"This can easily be construed by a Department of Justice [office of legal counsel] lawyer to give any president a green light to carry out lethal military operations against at least 30 designated foreign terrorist organizations," said a Democratic staffer. "This is a bright green light for forever wars and would further hollow out Congress’ war-related power."
Five Republicans currently support the resolution as written: Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mike Lee (R-UT). It is unclear whether any of them support Cotton's amendment.
