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Reporter’s Notebook: Who really decides when America goes to war? The answer isn’t so clear
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The Founding Fathers were clear about lots of things, but in the era of modern warfare, who calls the shots and has the final say to head into battle was not the Founders’ most crystalline moment.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to «declare War.» But Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution anoints the President «Commander in Chief.»
Constitutional scholars argue that Congress must adopt a resolution before sending service personnel into hostilities abroad under the aegis of «war.» But what if you just dispatch B-2 bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to fly halfway around the world and slingshot 14 bunker buster bombs into three of Iran’s nuclear facilities? Or if you greenlight Ohio Class subs to fire 30 Tomahawk missiles into Iran as well?
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The debate over who gets to declare war rages on in Congress. (Getty Images)
Are you «at war?» Does the president have the authority to do that? What about Congress?
Well, if you say the president — or Congress — both can be right.
Or wrong.
«I’m someone who believes in the Constitution and the War Powers Act,» said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Fox. «(President) Donald Trump did not declare war. He has the right as commander-in-chief to execute a very surgical process.»
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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on June 6, 2023. (Getty Images)
Mace noted «there were no troops on the ground.»
But then the South Carolina Republican added this:
«The 2001 AUMF is still in place. If we didn’t like it, then Congress should get rid of it,» said Mace.
OK. Hold on.
We know what «troops on the ground» is. We think (think) we understand what «declaring war» is (or do we?).
But pray tell, what in the world is an «AUMF?»
That’s congressional speak for an «Authorization for Use of Military Force.»
It’s kind of like Congress «declaring war.» Both the House and Senate must vote to «declare war.»
US Capitol Building at sunset on Jan. 30, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
Transom windows, pie safes and coal chutes in homes all started to become obsolete in the 1940s.
So did «declaring war,» apparently.
Congress hasn’t «declared war» since 1942.
And that was against Romania.
In fact, the U.S. has only «declared war» 11 times in history.
And Congress doesn’t just «declare war.» Both the House and Senate must vote. And so what the modern Congress does now is approve an «authorization» to send the military into harm’s way overseas. That could be by sea. Troops on the ground. In the air. You name it.
Congress authorized the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. That was the gateway to years of fighting in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. More recently, Congress blessed an authorization to invade Afghanistan and wage the «war on terror» in 2001 after 9/11. Lawmakers followed that up in the fall of 2002 for authorization to invade Iraq — on suspicion that Saddam Hussein’s regime had an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and its allies found nothing after the 2003 invasion.
To Mace’s point, the 2001 AUMF is so broad that four American presidents have deployed it for various military action around the world. Mace’s argument would be that Iran or its proxies could launch terrorism attacks — or even a nuclear weapon somewhere. So, the 2001 AUMF is justification for American involvement.
That said, most foreign policy and military experts argue that the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs are calcified, legislative relics.
This is why it’s a political kaleidoscope about how various lawmakers felt about launching attacks on Iran and if Congress must get involved.
Democrats who usually oppose President Trump supported airstrikes.
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In this handout provided by the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that took out three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at the White House on June 21, 2025, in Washington. (Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images)
«I’ve been saying, ‘Hell yes’ for I think it’s almost six weeks,» said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is one of the most pro-Israel lawmakers from either party.
«This window is open now,» said Wasserman Schultz before the attack. «We can’t take our boot off their neck.»
But possible strikes worried lawmakers even before the U.S. launched them. There’s concern the conflagration could devolve into a broader conflict.
«The idea that one strike is going to be adequate, that it’s going to be one and done, I think is a misconception,» said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Before the conflict, bipartisan House members just returned from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
«They are worried that this will escalate,» said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. «And it wouldn’t take a whole lot for it to spiral out of control.»
This is why Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wanted the House to vote on their resolution before the U.S. attacked Iran.
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wanted the House to vote on their resolution before the U.S. attacked Iran on Trump’s orders. (Getty Images)
«I wouldn’t call my side of the MAGA base isolationists. We are exhausted. We are tired from all of these wars. And we’re non-interventionists,» said Massie on CBS.
«You’re wasting billions of our dollars because we’re sending more troops to the Middle East. What did you accomplish? And why are you oblivious to the American people who are sick of these wars?» said Khanna, also on CBS.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., didn’t mention Trump by name, but in a screed posted on X, she excoriated the decision to strike Iran.
«Only 6 months in and we are back into foreign wars, regime change, and world war 3. It feels like a complete bait and switch to please the neocons, warmongers, military industrial complex contracts, and neocon tv personalities that MAGA hates and who were NEVER TRUMPERS!» wrote Greene.
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, also questioned the authority of the president to fire on Iran.
«While President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional,» wrote Davidson on social media.
But when it came to Republicans criticizing those who went against Trump, most GOPers took on Massie.
«I’m not sure what’s going on with Thomas. He votes no against everything,» said Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., on Fox Business. «I’m not sure why he’s even here anymore.»
«He should be a Democrat because he’s more aligned with them than with the Republican Party,» said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Fox about Massie.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision on the U.S. becoming involved in Israel’s conflict with Iran within the next two weeks. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Shooing away Republicans toward the Democratic Party could be a questionable strategy considering the narrow GOP House majority. It’s currently 220 to 212 with three vacancies. All three vacancies are in districts heavily favored by the Democrats.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., plans to compel the Senate to vote this week on a resolution to determine if the U.S. should tussle militarily with Iran.
«We will have all members of the Senate declare whether or not the U.S. should be at war with Iran. It’s unconstitutional for a president to initiate a war like this without Congress,» said Kaine on Fox. «Every member of Congress needs to vote on this.»
Whether the U.S. is involved in «war» with Iran is an issue of debate. And here’s the deepest secret: Lawmakers sometimes preach about exercising their war powers authorities under Article I of the Constitution. But because votes about «war» or «AUMFs» are complicated, some members would rather chatter about it — but cede their power to the president. The reason? These are very, very tough votes, and it’s hard to decide the right thing to do.
The Founders were skeptical of a powerful executive. They wanted to make sure a «monarch,» or, in our case, a president, couldn’t unilaterally dial up hostilities without a check from Congress. But over time, Congress relinquished many of those war powers. And that’s why the executive seems to call the shots under these circumstances.
Is the U.S. at war? Like many things, it may be in the eye of the beholder.
And whether this responsibility ultimately lies with Congress or the president is in the eye of the beholder, too.
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Virginia voters sue to boot Democrat off ballot in district that could decide state House majority
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A new court filing claims a Democratic candidate for a hotly contested, GOP-held Virginia House of Delegates seat doesn’t live in the district she seeks to represent, a dispute that could shape control of the chamber in 2026.
Three voters in Stafford County went to court to allege candidate Stacey Carroll does not live in District 64 and instead in the neighboring, Democratic-majority 23rd and want her booted from the ballot.
Plaintiffs Stephen Schwartz, Judith Anne Parker and Juliet Schweiter alleged Carroll continues to live near US-1 in Aquia, Virginia, at the southern edge of the 23rd district but filed to run for office from an address about 7 miles southwestward near Stafford Court House, Virginia, in the 64th.
Local residents are asking the court to throw out Carroll’s voter registration at the Stafford address, which they argue would disqualify her from the ballot.
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The Virginia State Capitol as revelers celebrate Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s inauguration. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
That address is reportedly registered to another family, and a 1966 Virginia court ruling puts the burden of proof-of-residency on the voter registrant or ballot applicant, according to The Virginia Mercury.
While a seemingly local matter, the result of the case could have wide-ranging implications for the final tally on Election Day as all 100 House of Delegates seats are up for grabs. And Democrats achieved the rare accomplishment of running candidates in all of them, including reliably Republican seats in far-flung rural regions like St. Charles, Big Stone Gap and Tazewell.
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If her candidacy stands, Carroll will face Republican Del. Paul Milde of Stafford in a district that narrowly went for President Donald Trump in 2024 by just under two points.
If she is found to truly live in Aquia, her home district seat would be that of Democratic Del. Candi King of Prince William, a much safer and more suburban seat that went for former Vice President Kamala Harris by about 66-31.
A tie loses in the House of Delegates, meaning Republicans need only three seats to win back the majority but cannot afford to lose tight races like Milde’s.
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Democrats won back the House of Delegates in the last election in 2023, scoring a 52-48 majority. Republicans currently have one vacancy after House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Luray, resigned to briefly become U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.
Carroll’s chances of flipping Milde’s seat give Republicans an additional roadblock in their quest to take back the chamber.
They are also fielding other tightly contested races, including in Hampton Roads.
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Del. A.C. Cordoza, R-Poquoson, is the only Black Republican in the chamber and represents a district Harris narrowly won.
Republicans are laser focused on the seat, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant gubernatorial candidate John Reid have all stumped for Cordoza.
Like exurban Stafford, Hampton Roads is perennially competitive. Democrats tend to have the edge in state races, while Republicans, such as incumbent Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, often prevail in federal contests.
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Earle-Sears shocked the area in 2001 by winning a routinely Democratic-held seat in Virginia Beach, launching her into the commonwealth’s political conscience.
Several other seats in the region, which also includes Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Chesapeake and Isle of Wight, are seen as potential pickups for the opposing party.
Reid’s race is also expected to weigh heavily on Republicans’ chances of controlling Richmond beyond the governor’s seat.
While Democrats control the upper chamber, Earle-Sears is statutorily the tie-breaking vote.
Divided similarly to the House, the Senate’s partisan future may hang in the balance depending on whether Reid can defeat state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield.
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Reid would break ties in favor of Republicans, meaning they only need to win back two more Senate seats. Hashmi would do the opposite, meaning the GOP would need three.
Fox News Digital reached out to Carroll’s campaign for comment.
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El aeropuerto de Múnich suspendió sus operaciones tras el sobrevuelo de drones no autorizados: 3.000 pasajeros afectados
El aeropuerto de Múnich, uno de los principales centros de conexiones aéreas de Alemania, suspendió sus operaciones la noche de este jueves tras una serie de avistamientos de drones en las inmediaciones, causando la cancelación de 17 vuelos y el desvío de otros 15 a distintas ciudades alemanas y a la vecina Austria ante la imposibilidad de garantizar la seguridad de las operaciones.
Según precisó la propia terminal aérea en un comunicado difundido a primera hora de este viernes, cerca de 3.000 pasajeros resultaron afectados por la interrupción.
Las rutas afectadas trasladaron su destino a los aeropuertos de Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt y Viena mientras la terminal principal de Baviera, considerada uno de los mayores centros de tránsito aéreo de Alemania, permanecía sin operar. La medida generó amplias consultas y demoras para los pasajeros, aunque personal del aeropuerto indicó que “todo está bajo control y el aeropuerto reabrirá a las cinco”.
Durante el primer semestre de 2025, el aeropuerto de Múnich gestionó el viaje de casi 20 millones de pasajeros, en parte por su papel como base de la aerolínea nacional Lufthansa y su relevancia para el sur del país. El incidente reciente tuvo un impacto inmediato en la conectividad internacional y el tráfico nacional de Alemania, justo cuando otros países europeos están en alerta ante situaciones similares.
En días previos, terminales aéreas en Dinamarca y Noruega interrumpieron actividades tras recibir reportes sobre drones no autorizados en zonas seguras, complicando la agenda de miles de usuarios. Ante estos hechos, el gobierno danés resolvió prohibir temporalmente cualquier vuelo civil de drones por sobre su espacio aéreo e incrementar la vigilancia.
Las autoridades europeas han expresado preocupación por la reiteración de estos casos. Recientemente, altos mandos y gobiernos han detectado incursiones de drones rusos en los cielos de Polonia y Rumania, así como episodios de violaciones aéreas sobre Estonia por parte de aviones de combate. Esta serie de incidentes se produce en el contexto de la guerra en Ucrania y el refuerzo de controles en la frontera europea.
La primera ministra de Dinamarca, Mette Frederiksen, indicó en días recientes que no se podía confirmar el origen de los drones, aunque advirtió que “principalmente hay un país que supone una amenaza para la seguridad europea y ese país es Rusia”. En respuesta a los reclamos internacionales, el gobierno ruso negó su implicación en estos hechos y rechazó cualquier relación con las supuestas operaciones en espacio aéreo de otros Estados.
El caso de Múnich se suma a las precauciones extremas derivadas de una oleada de incidentes recientes en la ciudad. A inicios de semana, el reconocido festival Oktoberfest fue clausurado durante varias horas debido a una amenaza de bomba, mientras que la policía local investigó el hallazgo de explosivos en una zona residencial al norte de la capital bávara.
Estos acontecimientos intensificaron el despliegue de patrullas y de protocolos de monitoreo aéreo en el aeropuerto y otros puntos sensibles de la región. Las autoridades alemanas supervisan la evolución de la situación en coordinación con instancias de la Unión Europea, que días atrás aprobó nuevas estrategias comunes de defensa para enfrentar la amenaza de drones en aeropuertos y fronteras continentales.
Se espera que la terminal aérea de Múnich reabra al público a las 5:00, hora local, aunque las autoridades mantendrán las restricciones de seguridad.
Pidieron a los pasajeros informar en todo momento a las autoridades sobre cualquier actividad sospechosa. Delegados aeroportuarios reiteraron en la reapertura: “Algunos vuelos están esperando autorización, otros han sido cancelados; todo está bajo control”.
(Con información de Reuters)
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