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Massie Gives Congress a War Powers Exam It Cannot Delegate
· New York time
Representative Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of waging war against Iran without congressional authorization. The Kentucky Republican's move sets up a potential House vote and puts lawmakers on the record about a conflict involving the United States. Massie's accusation is the basis for his proposed impeachment, not a finding that Hegseth violated the law. The House would have to decide whether to impeach, and the Senate would then have a role if the process went further. For now, the immediate political question is whether members will support a challenge to an official in their own party's administration. The dispute reaches beyond one secretary. Congress has a constitutional role in decisions about war, while the executive branch directs military operations. Those responsibilities can produce sharp disagreements about authorization once a conflict is underway. A resolution makes that argument harder for lawmakers to leave in the agreeable realm of general principles. Members who have praised congressional authority now have an opportunity to demonstrate how much of it they want to exercise. Massie has handed the House a test with no convenient box marked Strongly Support Oversight, Prefer Someone Else Perform It. Whatever the vote produces, the constitutional discussion has acquired a roll call.
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