Thursday, June 26, 2025

Below is a list of U.S. presidents who have deployed airstrikes or military actions without specific Congressional approval.

Every U.S. president from Truman to Biden has authorized military airstrikes or operations without direct and new Congressional approval at some point during their presidency - Ken Blackwell
All of these actions were justified under the president’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief or under previous authorizations such as the 2001 or 2002 AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) 
None of these are predicated by congressional votes beforehand:
  • before Clinton at link.
  • Bill Clinton• Bosnia (1995) – NATO airstrikes in Bosnia without Congressional approval.• Iraq (1998) – Operation Desert Fox airstrikes against Saddam Hussein.• Kosovo (1999) – 78-day NATO bombing campaign without Congressional approval.
  • George W. Bush• Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia (2001 to 2009) – Authorized drone strikes relying on the 2001 AUMF but without specific country-by-country authorization.
  • Barack Obama• Libya (2011) – Air campaign as part of NATO action to topple Gaddafi, without Congressional approval.• Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen (2014 to 2016) – Airstrikes against ISIS and other terror groups under 2001 AUMF, no new authorization sought.
  • Donald Trump• Syria (2017 & 2018) – Airstrikes against Assad regime over chemical weapons, without Congressional approval.• Iraq (2020) – Ordered airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
  • Joe Biden• Syria (2021 & 2022) – Airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia groups.• Somalia & Yemen (ongoing) – Continued air campaigns under prior AUMFs.

  • Summary: Every U.S. president from Truman to Biden has authorized military airstrikes or operations without direct and new Congressional approval at some point during their presidency.

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