Lawmakers slam Trump for bypassing Congress on Syria strike
Amid measured support for the US cruise missile attack on a Syrian air base, some vocal Republicans and Democrats are reprimanding the White House for launching the strike without first getting congressional approval.
The politically diverse group ranges from the libertarian-leaning Kentucky GOP Rep. Tom Massie to Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat and Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016. They've told Trump the US Constitution gives Congress sole power to declare war and said the president needs to convince them that they should.
"While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria, the United States was not attacked," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. "The president needs congressional authorization for military action as required by the Constitution, and I call on him to come to Congress for a proper debate. Our prior interventions in this region have done nothing to make us safer, and Syria will be no different."
