WASHINGTON, December 8. /TASS/. The US Congress intends to revoke two laws from 1991 and 2002 that authorize the US president to conduct military operations in the Middle East, the draft defense budget for the current fiscal year, which was agreed upon by Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress, said.
The fiscal year began on October 1 in the US.
According to the US Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war. However, in recent decades, US leaders have broadly interpreted the permissions granted to them by lawmakers to use military force abroad, including launching new operations. Several members of Congress have proposed resolutions requiring the president to use military force only with the legislative branch's permission. However, none of these resolutions have been adopted to date.
Representatives from both parties have decided to repeal the two laws on which US leaders relied when using force in the Middle East in recent years.
Congress previously formed a commission consisting of representatives from both chambers to coordinate the details of the differing defense budget proposals prepared by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Coordinated defense budget proposals are usually approved quickly.