The Wall Street Journal reported today: "Five Republican senators broke party lines to support a resolution limiting President Trump's military powers, an unusual move that drew fierce criticism from the White House. Trump posted that these legislators should 'feel ashamed' and should never be re-elected to public office again."
Trump wrote: "Republicans should be ashamed of those who just voted with Democrats to try to take away our right to defend the United States. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be re-elected to public office again. This vote severely hindered America's self-defense and national security, undermining the president's authority as Commander-in-Chief. Regardless of these people's 'foolish actions,' the War Powers Act itself is unconstitutional — it completely violates Article II of the Constitution, a point that every president and their Department of Justice have already determined before me. Nevertheless, a more significant Senate vote on this issue will take place next week."
Comment: Five Republican lawmakers 'defected across party lines,' breaking previous voting conventions based on party lines. The core reason was Trump's bypassing of Congress for a surprise strike in Venezuela and the arrest of Maduro, which touched the bottom line of Congress's 'declaration of war' power, even within the party, there were concerns that the president's military power had expanded too much and could become uncontrollable.
Trump's furious backlash seems to be defending the 'presidential authority,' but actually reveals his disregard for the balance of power. He denounced the War Powers Act as 'unconstitutional,' continuing the tradition of past presidents' skepticism towards the law, but ignored that the core of the bill is to restrict the power of 'war without declaration.' Although the Constitution grants the president the status of 'Commander-in-Chief,' it also clearly states that Congress holds the power to declare war and approve military funding. This division was originally the intention of the system design.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853811437131780/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.