The Power to Declare War: The Ultimate Check on Presidential Power
Abstract
Congress has formally declared war only eleven times in U.S. history in five wars, yet authorized the deployment of troops to situations that either involved the use of force or potentially involved the use of force over two hundred times. Though not necessarily true in the 19th century for political reasons, the 20th century has shown that if war requires not . only a whole of government approach, but a whole of nation approach then Congress will formally declare war. If war only requires limited resources then Congress authorizes the action through a resolution or by continued funding. When Congress does declare war it grants sweeping powers to the Executive Branch that threatens the balance of power within the government. Therefore, Congress is very selective in choosing which wars to formally declare.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA600997
Entities
People
- Robert J. Allen
Organizations
- Marine Corps University