War Powers Act
Definition
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (also commonly referred to as the War Powers Act) is a U.S. federal law designed to limit the president's authority to commit American armed forces to armed conflict without prior congressional approval or declaration of war.
Passed over President Richard Nixon's veto amid the Vietnam War, it requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing forces and limits such engagements to 60 days without congressional authorization.
Examples
The president dusted off the War Powers Act like an old gym membership—consulted once, then ignored for the drone strikes.
Congress invoked the War Powers Act faster than a politician spotting a photo op, demanding details on the midnight raid.
Historians quip that the War Powers Act is to presidents what diets are to politicians: frequently broken with zero apologies.
In a plot twist worthy of a spy thriller, the White House cited the War Powers Act while troops were already halfway across the border.