Skip to main contentU.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) was an early critic of President Obama's decision to aid the international offensive against Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
Now the progressive congressman from Springfield has offered up an amendment to the War Powers Resolution aimed at restricting the president's ability to unilaterally command military action.
House Joint Resolution 55, which DeFazio introduced last week, would "fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and ensure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the president will apply," according to the resolution.
The resolution specifies that U.S. armed forces "may be introduced into hostilities" only when:
• Congress declares war.
• In accordance with specific statutory authorization.
• There's an armed attack on the United States.
• There's an armed attack on the U.S. military.
• To protect U.S. citizens being evacuated from a situation.
The resolution also requires the president to consult with Congress "in every possible instance" before armed forces are sent into a foreign country.
Republican leaders have accused the president of overreaching in Libya. But with the House in control of the GOP, it's unlikely that any solution offered up by a Democrat such as DeFazio will go very far.
WWeek 2015