“Congress must reassert its authority, especially at this dangerous time,” Schumer said at a news conference in his office in New York.
Trump agreed to the ceasefire on Tuesday, less than two hours before a deadline he set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Trump’s threat that “an entire civilization will die tonight” has sparked global concern and condemnation from Democrats, dozens of whom have called for Trump’s removal. The 1949 Geneva Conventions on the Humanitarian Conduct of War prohibit attacks on locations deemed critical to civilians.
Schumer called Trump’s statements “unconscionable” and criticized the war for failing to weaken Iran’s government or curb its nuclear program, while global fuel prices have soared. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
The White House maintains that Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander in chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations, reports Hina.
For months, Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have tried, but failed miserably, to pass resolutions on war powers that would have forced Trump to get approval from lawmakers before launching military operations.
Trump’s Republicans in Congress, who hold narrow majorities in both houses, have almost unanimously backed his policies.
Although the US Constitution requires Congress, not the president, to declare war, that restriction does not apply to short-term operations or situations where the country faces an immediate threat.
The Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, said the chamber should also vote on a resolution to contain the war against Iran.
“We need a permanent end to the reckless war that Donald Trump has chosen himself,” Jeffries told CNN.
(Vijesti.ba)
