SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
By domestic standards, in our system of checks and balances, the president does not have the authorization to use military force without the consent of Congress. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Biden Is Bending Rules to Drop Bombs But Not to Raise Wages--That's a Mistake
People overcame great challenges to put this administration, and this Senate, in power. We shouldn’t be bombing people abroad while families at home struggle to survive.
Mar 02, 2021
It took barely a month into Joe Biden's presidency for him to boot the U.S. war machine back up, authorizing airstrikes on Syria on February 25. The administration claimed the attack was self-defense against Iranian-backed forces in the region.
Biden had campaigned on revitalizing U.S.-Iran relations by rejoining the nuclear deal that Trump had walked away from. Yet, like so many presidents before him, he reached for the military option rather than a diplomatic one.
When it comes to life-saving policy for millions of working families in the United States, there was no attempt from Biden to justify a workaround.
This isn't surprising. But it is illegal.
The Pentagon claimed that the strikes were retaliation for attacks by an Iraqi Shiite militia against American and coalition personnel. The administration apparently judged that a military response in Iraq would be politically complicated, so they struck an alleged militia base in Syria instead.
By international standards and common decency, it is unlawful to "send a message" to a third party by carrying out military attacks in a country that is not attacking you just because it's convenient.
By domestic standards, in our system of checks and balances, the president does not have the authorization to use military force without the consent of Congress. But George W. Bush and every president after him has used the 2001 Authorization of Military Force and 2002 Iraq War Authorization as a blank check to bypass the Congressional War Powers Act and drop bombs freely.
A few lawmakers did speak out. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with House progressives like Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Rho Khanna (D-CA) called the administration out for the unexpected escalation. But most lawmakers remained silent.
When it comes to international relations, it seems the rules don't apply. But when we look at the rules of engagement at home, it really adds salt to the wound.
In the same week that the rules went out the window to bomb Syria, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the Senate couldn't pass a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour through the reconciliation process.
What Democrats could have done, if they really wanted to pass a living wage, is rewrite the language in the bill so that it meets the right criteria for the reconciliation process. Or the Biden administration could have tried to overrule the decision.
Under George W. Bush, Republicans actually fired the Senate parliamentarian who ruled against passing Bush's tax cuts under reconciliation -- and then passed them in a 50-50 Senate much like today's.
Instead, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was "disappointed" but "respects the parliamentarian's decision and the Senate's process." Basically, he threw up his hands and said sorry, but rules are rules.
When it comes to life-saving policy for millions of working families in the United States, there was no attempt from Biden to justify a workaround. But when it comes to life-destroying air strikes that only serve to enrich weapons manufacturers and destabilize the region, the rules went out the window.
People overcame great challenges to put this administration, and this Senate, in power. If they're not moved by morals, I hope they'll be moved by politics to rewrite these rules. We shouldn't be bombing people abroad while families at home struggle to survive.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
It took barely a month into Joe Biden's presidency for him to boot the U.S. war machine back up, authorizing airstrikes on Syria on February 25. The administration claimed the attack was self-defense against Iranian-backed forces in the region.
Biden had campaigned on revitalizing U.S.-Iran relations by rejoining the nuclear deal that Trump had walked away from. Yet, like so many presidents before him, he reached for the military option rather than a diplomatic one.
When it comes to life-saving policy for millions of working families in the United States, there was no attempt from Biden to justify a workaround.
This isn't surprising. But it is illegal.
The Pentagon claimed that the strikes were retaliation for attacks by an Iraqi Shiite militia against American and coalition personnel. The administration apparently judged that a military response in Iraq would be politically complicated, so they struck an alleged militia base in Syria instead.
By international standards and common decency, it is unlawful to "send a message" to a third party by carrying out military attacks in a country that is not attacking you just because it's convenient.
By domestic standards, in our system of checks and balances, the president does not have the authorization to use military force without the consent of Congress. But George W. Bush and every president after him has used the 2001 Authorization of Military Force and 2002 Iraq War Authorization as a blank check to bypass the Congressional War Powers Act and drop bombs freely.
A few lawmakers did speak out. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with House progressives like Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Rho Khanna (D-CA) called the administration out for the unexpected escalation. But most lawmakers remained silent.
When it comes to international relations, it seems the rules don't apply. But when we look at the rules of engagement at home, it really adds salt to the wound.
In the same week that the rules went out the window to bomb Syria, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the Senate couldn't pass a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour through the reconciliation process.
What Democrats could have done, if they really wanted to pass a living wage, is rewrite the language in the bill so that it meets the right criteria for the reconciliation process. Or the Biden administration could have tried to overrule the decision.
Under George W. Bush, Republicans actually fired the Senate parliamentarian who ruled against passing Bush's tax cuts under reconciliation -- and then passed them in a 50-50 Senate much like today's.
Instead, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was "disappointed" but "respects the parliamentarian's decision and the Senate's process." Basically, he threw up his hands and said sorry, but rules are rules.
When it comes to life-saving policy for millions of working families in the United States, there was no attempt from Biden to justify a workaround. But when it comes to life-destroying air strikes that only serve to enrich weapons manufacturers and destabilize the region, the rules went out the window.
People overcame great challenges to put this administration, and this Senate, in power. If they're not moved by morals, I hope they'll be moved by politics to rewrite these rules. We shouldn't be bombing people abroad while families at home struggle to survive.
It took barely a month into Joe Biden's presidency for him to boot the U.S. war machine back up, authorizing airstrikes on Syria on February 25. The administration claimed the attack was self-defense against Iranian-backed forces in the region.
Biden had campaigned on revitalizing U.S.-Iran relations by rejoining the nuclear deal that Trump had walked away from. Yet, like so many presidents before him, he reached for the military option rather than a diplomatic one.
When it comes to life-saving policy for millions of working families in the United States, there was no attempt from Biden to justify a workaround.
This isn't surprising. But it is illegal.
The Pentagon claimed that the strikes were retaliation for attacks by an Iraqi Shiite militia against American and coalition personnel. The administration apparently judged that a military response in Iraq would be politically complicated, so they struck an alleged militia base in Syria instead.
By international standards and common decency, it is unlawful to "send a message" to a third party by carrying out military attacks in a country that is not attacking you just because it's convenient.
By domestic standards, in our system of checks and balances, the president does not have the authorization to use military force without the consent of Congress. But George W. Bush and every president after him has used the 2001 Authorization of Military Force and 2002 Iraq War Authorization as a blank check to bypass the Congressional War Powers Act and drop bombs freely.
A few lawmakers did speak out. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with House progressives like Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Rho Khanna (D-CA) called the administration out for the unexpected escalation. But most lawmakers remained silent.
When it comes to international relations, it seems the rules don't apply. But when we look at the rules of engagement at home, it really adds salt to the wound.
In the same week that the rules went out the window to bomb Syria, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the Senate couldn't pass a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour through the reconciliation process.
What Democrats could have done, if they really wanted to pass a living wage, is rewrite the language in the bill so that it meets the right criteria for the reconciliation process. Or the Biden administration could have tried to overrule the decision.
Under George W. Bush, Republicans actually fired the Senate parliamentarian who ruled against passing Bush's tax cuts under reconciliation -- and then passed them in a 50-50 Senate much like today's.
Instead, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was "disappointed" but "respects the parliamentarian's decision and the Senate's process." Basically, he threw up his hands and said sorry, but rules are rules.
When it comes to life-saving policy for millions of working families in the United States, there was no attempt from Biden to justify a workaround. But when it comes to life-destroying air strikes that only serve to enrich weapons manufacturers and destabilize the region, the rules went out the window.
People overcame great challenges to put this administration, and this Senate, in power. If they're not moved by morals, I hope they'll be moved by politics to rewrite these rules. We shouldn't be bombing people abroad while families at home struggle to survive.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.