Ahead of the US-Israel strikes against Iran, President Trump informed members of Congress that the action was inevitable, according to reports.
“Sec Rubio ‘laid out the situation and consulted’ the Gang of 8 on Iran an hour-long briefing on Tuesday and ‘attempted to’ call all members to give them a heads up prior to Trump’s strikes,” White House Correspondent Shelby Talcott reported Saturday. “I’m told he reached 7 of the 8.”
A White House official also confirmed that the Department of War (DoW) informed the Armed Services Committee early Saturday morning.
The Gang of 8 is a group of congressional leaders who are briefed on classified intelligence matters. The group includes the Majority and Minority Leaders in both houses, as well as the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees in both chambers.
The notification to Congress is required under the 1973 War Powers resolution, which says that “in the absence of a declaration of war,” the president must inform Congress within 48 hours of initiating military action. Military strikes under this resolution must end within 60 days unless Congress provides an extension or authorizes a declaration of war.
Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) is another legislative tool that Congress may use. AUMFs allow limited, defined military action – basically a mini-declaration of war.
If Trump is planning a quick air and naval campaign with little to no ground force involvement, it will likely be over in weeks, not months, and the WPR would cover such an action.
