{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-andy-biggs-sends-letter-president-biden-expressing-constitutional", "Congressman Andy Biggs Sends Letter to President Biden Expressing Constitutional Concerns About His Decision to Conduct Offensive Airstrikes on the Iraq-Syria Border", "2021-07-12", "2021", "2021-07", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Andy Biggs", "B001302", "biggs.house.gov", "biggs", "https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Congressman Andy Biggs, along with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, sent a letter to President Biden expressing constitutional concerns about his decision to conduct offensive airstrikes on the Iraq-Syria border:\n\n\"Our Constitution gives the authority to declare war only to Congress. It is implied that the President has limited authority to act to defend our national interests in exigent circumstances. The Executive Branch has no authority conducting offensive strikes without Congressional approval. The Biden Administration has taken offensive action in the recent airstrike on the Iraq-Syria border without bringing this to Congress for approval. Without appropriate justification of an imminent threat to the United States, it is clear that President Biden exceeded his constitutional authority.\" \u2013 Congressman Andy Biggs\n\nYou can read the full letter here and below:\n\nJuly 12, 2021\n\nPresident Joseph R. Biden, Jr.\n\nThe White House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20500\n\nDear President Biden,\n\nThe recent U.S. airstrikes on the Iraq-Syria border raise major constitutional concerns. We request that you brief Members of Congress on the threats faced by our troops overseas and the specific imminent threat that precipitated this use of military force.\n\nOn June 27, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced that the U.S. had conducted a military operation against operational and weapons storage facilities in Iraq and Syria. The DOD's announcement stated, \"[a]t President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.\" The DOD announcement contained little specific information about what threat precipitated this strike. In the weeks since the attack, Congress remains underinformed about said threat.\n\nWhen President Trump conducted the airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, you said that his administration's assertion that the strike was conducted in self-defense was not adequate because his administration did not supply \"the necessary evidence to support that conclusion\". Your administration's claim that this recent action was necessary to defend our troops likewise must be accompanied by evidence necessary to support the conclusion that our troops were in danger in this instance.\n\nIn your notification to Congress, you said, \"I directed this discrete military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct United States foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.\" The Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to declare war, and the president the power to prosecute the war. The Constitution does not give the president, as \"Commander in Chief,\" unlimited power to make war. As President Washington put so eloquently, \"The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore, no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.\" Article II of the Constitution only gives the President the power to repel immediate or imminent threats, it does not give the Executive Branch the power to conduct a war without congressional approval.\n\nWe would appreciate a written reply to the following questions:\n\nWhat notification did the administration provide to Members of Congress before launching this airstrike?\n\nWhat immediate threat did our troops face that drove the conclusion that immediate military action was the necessary and appropriate response?\n\nHow does your administration define \"immediate\" or \"imminent\" when assessing threats?\n\nDo you believe that Article II gives the Executive Branch unlimited power to decide when to engage in military strikes in foreign nations? Why?\n\nIf these questions cannot be provided in written form due to national security concerns, we request a classified briefing in which the information can be shared. We look forward to hearing from you ahead of August 1. Thank you for your prompt response, and your willingness to work with us to restore Congress' preeminent Constitutional role over decisions of war and peace.\n\nSincerely,\n\nAndy Biggs\n\nMember of Congress\n\nBarbara Lee\n\nMember of Congress\n\n####", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:03:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://biggs.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-andy-biggs-sends-letter-president-biden-expressing-constitutional"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7050807364284992, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}