Legislation1973
War Powers Resolution Debated in Senate
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on what would become the War Powers Resolution, requiring the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbidding forces from remaining more than 60 days without congressional authorization.
Why It Matters
The War Powers Resolution addressed the constitutional balance between congressional authority to declare war and presidential power as commander-in-chief, a tension that remains central to American governance.