Rep. Peter DeFazio will hold a town hall meeting focused on President Trump’s repeated violations of the Constitution and Congress’s authority to declare war.

“Just this week, President Trump and officials in his administration have suggested they would violate the Constitution and not seek congressional approval if they decide to pursue military action in Iran. I have repeatedly called on President Trump, just as I have with past presidents of both parties, to respect Congress’s constitutional power to declare war and consult with Congress before committing U.S. troops to any military conflict, as laid out in Article I of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio. “Unfortunately, he has not heeded those calls and has continued to commit troops to active conflict without seeking congressional approval. The American people deserve to know the full scope of any potential conflict—including an exit strategy—before the U.S. considers another military campaign in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.”

Although the U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the executive branch, the power to declare war, the war powers of the legislative branch have eroded over time. Over the last fifty years, many presidents of both parties have unlawfully exerted sole authority to commit U.S. forces to armed conflict overseas.

Rep. DeFazio will also discuss his legislation, H.J. Res 66, the War Powers Amendments of 2019, which would strengthen Congress’s war powers and require presidents to consult with Congress and gain congressional authorization before sending U.S. forces into conflicts.

Rep. DeFazio will be joined by constitutional law professor and author Garrett Epps, a noted expert in the subject of congressional war-making authority.