Showdown Over Iraq War Funding

The U.S. Constitution gives Congress and the president different responsibilities in waging wars, but there have long been disputes about where one’s war powers begin and the other’s ends. This year’s showdown over the Iraq supplemental war-funding bills mark one of the biggest yet during an ongoing war. Check out the Council on Foreign Relation's backgrounder, Balance of War Powers: The U.S. President and Congress. Among the issues addressed include the following:

• Can Congress set timelines for a troop withdrawal?
• What are the president’s options in the event of Congress cutting off funding?

For the latest legislative salvo in this showdown, see House Approves Revised War Bill: Two-Part Funding Faces Veto Threat, Washington Post (May 11, 2007). [JH]