President Joe Biden speaks about Ukraine in the Eastern Hall of the White House on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
(The hill) – The letter was sent by a group of deputies President Joe Biden on Tuesday amid escalating tensions in Ukraine to remind him he must get permission from Congress before deploying troops or launching military attacks.
A bipartisan group of 43 lawmakers acknowledged that Biden had previously said he would not send troops to Ukraine, but noted that the decision could change.
“If the current situation forces you to bring brave men and women of our military into Ukraine, their lives will be inherently at risk because Russia will decide to invade,” the letter reads. “Therefore, we ask that your decisions be in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of our country, in consultation with Congress to obtain permission before any such development.”
The letter was signed by rap. Nancy Mace (RSC), Promila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ilhan Omar (D-Min.), Matt Goetz (R-Fla.) And Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), among others.
Rep. Peter Defacio (D-Ore.) shared a letter on Twitterwrites that Biden must “abide by the Constitution and the law.”
“The American people deserve a word before we get involved in another foreign conflict,” DeFasio wrote.
The letter came amid rising tensions between the United States and Russia. On Monday, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, before sending troops to the Donbass region, raising fears of a larger invasion and conflict in Europe.
On Tuesday, Biden announced additional sanctions against Russia, but said he believed Putin’s promotion to Ukraine could be the beginning a larger invasion to capture more territory.
Until now, Biden has opposed the entry of troops into Ukraine, saying it is moving American troops to other NATO countries, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And earlier this month, Biden withdrew 160 US troops from Ukraine.
Lawmakers wrote in a letter Tuesday that previous presidents had abused the 1973 Military Powers Resolution, but noted that the act limited Biden not only from troop participation but also from a “preemptive strike”.
“Congress is ready to discuss the potentially monumental consequences of such scenarios,” lawmakers said.