Congress Must Reclaim Its War Powers—NOW

Friday brought several new violations of the Constitution and the norms of democracy—unlike anything our republic has ever seen. Donald Trump accepted $130 million from a private donor to “pay” U.S. military salaries during the shutdown—an act flatly illegal under the Constitution’s Appropriations Clause and the Anti-Deficiency Act. Congress alone controls public money. No president and no billionaire has the right to buy control of America’s armed forces. The same day, Trump deployed a U.S. naval battlegroup to South America without notifying Congress as required by the War Powers Resolution and ordered airstrikes that killed six people aboard a boat he claimed was smuggling drugs. There was no declaration of war, no authorization of force, and no proof of any crime—just the word of one man. When asked why he hadn’t sought a declaration of war, Trump said: “I don’t think we’re gonna necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country.” That statement alone should stop Congress cold. The Framers gave you—not the President—the power to decide when this nation goes to war. That’s not politics; that’s the Constitution. Now Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed yet another strike, bringing the total to ten, and the Pentagon has moved the USS Gerald Ford and five destroyers to Venezuela’s coast while weighing attacks inside that country. This is a full-scale military campaign launched without your consent. Any one of these actions justifies impeachment, but that is secondary to what must happen right now. Congress must put its foot down. You must hold hearings with the President himself and demand answers, on the record, about his illegal use of force and his claim of unlimited authority. If a president can fund troops with private money, bomb sovereign nations on his own say-so, and hand defense contracts to his family, then Congress no longer governs and the people no longer rule. That’s monarchy, not America. This isn’t about party loyalty. It’s about preserving the separation of powers that keeps every American—Republican, Democrat, and Independent—free from tyranny. Reassert your authority. Call the hearings. Draw the line.