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Annotated: Obama’s Proposed Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against ISIS

Zak Newman,
ACLU Washington Legislative Office
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February 11, 2015

President Obama just sent Congress his proposed legislation to authorize his use of military force against ISIS. An Authorization for the Use of Military Force against the group is long overdue given that the president has been conducting airstrikes against the group since last summer. While the White House has taken a constructive step by finally engaging Congress on the issue, the proposed text would provide the executive yet another dangerously overbroad war authorization. I’ll show you what I mean in the annotations to the president’s text below.

If Congress grants authority for the use of force against ISIS – as the Constitution requires for any use of force – the authority must be significantly more limited and more specific than the authority the administration has proposed.

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