Bipartisan Congress: Masters of 'Not My Problem' on War
The Intercept's headline, 'How Congress Blew All Their Chances to Stop Trump’s War With Venezuela,' mourns a hypothetical that never quite escalated to full-scale invasion. It's a poignant reflection on congressional inaction. But let's be real: Congress seems to struggle with its constitutional duty to rein in executive war powers across the board, not just when it involves Latin American oil.
Remember the blank checks for military ventures in Afghanistan and Iraq? Or the casual approval of endless aid packages to governments currently engaged in what international bodies are calling plausible genocide? This is the same Congress, after all, where funding for conflicts abroad often sails through with bipartisan support. Take the recent $14 billion in aid to Israel, approved by a vote of
359-54 (H.R.815), despite ongoing concerns from human rights organizations about its use. One might wonder if the concern for executive overreach only surfaces when the perceived threat to American interests (or campaign donations) isn't sufficiently aligned. It appears some wars are simply easier to 'blow chances' on than others.