"As the Trump administration blows past a key congressional deadline, a top lawyer in the Department of Justice has claimed that the executive branch does not need the approval of Congress to continue conducting boat strikes in and around the Caribbean - an assertion outside experts say is patently false."
"The briefing was made just before the end of the 60-day deadline established by the legislation. The legislation requires the president to acquire approval for sustained military action within 60 days of an initial notification of actions. This deadline passed on Monday. Gaiser said that the administration is not going to seek approval or an extension of the deadline."
"The administration's reasoning, it seems, is that "even at its broadest ... [it] has been understood to apply to placing U.S. service-members in harm's way," and that the current engagement does not do so - even as the administration claims that the current operation is conducted in self-defense."
The executive branch asserts it does not need congressional approval to continue boat strikes in and around the Caribbean. The claim rejects application of the 1973 War Powers Resolution and its 60-day approval requirement for sustained military action. The administration contends the strikes do not constitute "hostilities" as defined under the law and do not place U.S. service members in harm's way. The deadline for congressional approval expired without a request for authorization or extension. Officials describe the operation as precise strikes largely conducted by unmanned aerial vehicles and portray the actions as self-defense.
Read at Truthout
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