Rooney Rejects Obama Assertion on War Powers Resolution
For Immediate Release: June 16, 2011
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) today rejected the Obama Administration’s assertion that the War Powers Resolution does not apply to the war in Libya.
“President Obama’s claim that the War Powers Act does not apply to the war in Libya defies common sense,” Rooney said. “Telling Congress and the American people that this is not a war insults our intelligence. I won’t stand for it and neither will my constituents.
“No President is above the law. President Obama is in clear violation of the War Powers Resolution and the Constitution. The assertion that the war in Libya does not require Congressional authorization sets a terrible precedent, as it represents a clear rejection not just of the War Powers Resolution but of the Constitution.
“Nothing in the Constitution or War Powers Resolution suggests that if a war is limited, NATO-led, or UN-authorized then it is not a war and does not require Congressional authorization. The UN does not trump the United States Congress.”
Rooney introduced a resolution on April 1 expressing the sense of Congress that the President should abide by the War Powers Resolution and obtain Congressional authorization for military action in Libya within 60 days, and testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 25 regarding his legislation. He introduced a follow-up resolution on June 1 stating that the President was in violation of War Powers and requiring the withdrawal of troops unless the Administration obtained authorization by June 19.
Rooney, who sits on the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, served in the Army JAG Corps and taught Constitutional law at West Point.
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