The Gist Chris Murphy: “Congress needs to take war powers back.”
Oct 18, 2025
In this discussion, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy dives deep into the implications of the two-decade-old AUMF, which still justifies military actions globally. He highlights the troubling trend of temporary wartime powers becoming a permanent fixture in U.S. foreign policy. Murphy calls for Congress to reclaim its constitutional war-making authority and shares insights on why legislators often avoid tackling tough decisions on military action. He also critiques U.S. involvement in conflicts like Yemen and shares thoughts on the recognition of Guaidó's presidency in Venezuela.
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Old AUMFs Enable Modern Wars
- The 2001 and 2002 AUMFs still authorise a wide range of modern strikes across many countries without contemporary congressional debate.
- Senator Chris Murphy argues this disconnect undermines democratic accountability for current military actions.
Founders Wanted Congress To Decide War
- The Constitution assigns war-declaring power to Congress to ensure national participation in decisions to use force.
- Murphy says modern diffuse terrorism made Congress shy away from that hard responsibility, effectively outsourcing war-making to presidents.
Congress Chooses Silence Over Risky Votes
- Members avoid clear war votes because they fear political backlash if the public rejects action later.
- Murphy links that reluctance to Congress often choosing silence, which presidents interpret as implicit permission.