War Powers and Federal Spending Hearing Video

A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee held a hearing on war powers granted by the Constitution and whether or not a new Authorization for Use of Military Force is needed for current U.S. military engagements. Attorneys and legal experts from across the political spectrum, including former judge Andrew Napolitano and law professor Jonathan Turley, testified about Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution which grants Congress the power to declare war, and put forward several examples from history, including 2001’s Authorization for Use of Military Force, in which Congress gradually forfeited its war powers to the Executive Branch. In attendance were Senators Mike Lee, Jeff Merkley, Gary Peters, Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul, and Tom Lee.