Should congress excercise its constitutional right to bring the war to an end?

Question

The majority of the US population is against the war and the congress is the most accountable to the people based on their election cylce. Only congress can declare and end a US war.

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

What constitutional right ? If the defence of the country had to be debated in congress, they would argue back and forth forever before coming to a decision.
The Romans realized this back in five hundred B.C. so they appointed a dictator for a six month period, or until the emergency ended, whenever there was a chance of an attack, by or against Rome.
Congress has a lot of duties, but war is up to the president.

Answer 3

Congress does not have Constitutional "rights." We, the people have rights. Congress has Constitutional authority.
Since Congress has not had the balls to declare a war since Dec 8, 1941, I doubt it will find the balls now to end a war.

It is much easier for Congress to let the President make all the war decisions and then sit back and criticize what he does. Heaven forbid our representatives in Congress would actually have to VOTE on something like going to war.

Answer 4

Continue the war. We are doing the right thing. Should congress end drinking because there were over 16,000 DUI deaths in 2005. That is one year, the war is 4. DUI estimated cost were 51 billion too. Sounds like the war isn't that big of a problem. When are troops are voluntarily going over there to denfend our country. While someone who is hit by a drunk driver didn't sign up for that.

Answer 5

They have no constitutional authority to end a war, that is for the executive branch (the president). They are jsut the checkbook all tehy can do is withdrawl funding and let the troops starve untill they finnally go home. As an active member of the army I would be very pissed if I didnt eat beacuse some liberal kids protested congress and convinced them tehy are the majority.

Answer 6

Try reading the Constitution. Congress cannot end the war. Thats now in the hands of the president. Also, a majority of the population is NOT against the war, they in fact want us to finish the job.

Answer 7

Congress cannot end the war. They do not have the constitutional right to do anything except cut funding. If they cut funding they will find themselves out of power as fast as they got into power. Their little end run tactic of putting a quit date into their funding bill will not work either. We do see what they are doing and we do have a name for it, treason.

Answer 8

Congress only has the constitutional right to control the purse. It's the president that makes the decision to end the war.

Answer 9

Congress does not have such a 'right' pal. It can control the purse and do other interesting stuff, but a "constitutional right" is something which is declared in the constitution, which you might actually try reading one day, before commenting on what it contains.

Answer 10

Correction: Congress only declare a war to begin. They cannot "declare" it to end. Congress can, however, defund the war.

If Congress defunded the war, you would find in the next election cycle that the "majority of the US population" does not believe what you think they believe.

Answer 11

No, that would be disastrous.

Still, It is a good question, with a meaningful explanation attached to it.

Far better than the 95% of the questions in the Politics or Military sections that are merely personal opinions expressed with loaded questions.

I salute you.

Note to other posters: As long as Congress has the power of the purse, it has the defacto authority to end a war.

Ask King Charles Stuart how that works.