nov 7, 1973 - War powers act

Description:

This act limited the U.S. president’s ability to start or escalate military actions abroad. This law requires that presidents notify Congress after deploying the armed forces and limits how long units can remain engaged without congressional approval. It avoided another lengthy war such as the Vietnam war.

This made it much harder for presidents to take independent decisions regarding war. Since the 1970s, every sitting president has either sidestepped some of the law’s provisions or labeled it unconstitutional.

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