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Bill Burgess of Portland is a partner with North Bridge Venture Partners. He currently serves on the board of Issue One, a crosspartisan political reform group, and is co-chair of The Council for American Democracy, a nationwide coalition of citizens dedicated to preserving our democracy.
For decades, Congress has steadily surrendered one of its most solemn but important constitutional responsibilities: deciding when the United States goes to war or launches consequential military operations. Presidents of both parties have filled that vacuum — ordering strikes and sending our uniformed citizens into harm’s way with little oversight or accountability from the legislative branch. What was meant to be a shared, deliberative process has increasingly become an executive prerogative.
The Senate’s recent, final vote rejecting a resolution that would have prevented President Donald Trump from engaging in further military operations in Venezuela without congressional approval is an unfortunate continuation of this trend. However, it is not a reason for despair because the final vote was extremely close.
Three Republican senators — including Maine Sen. Susan Collins — joined Democrats in voting for the proposal, showing bravery by standing up to party pressure to protect our democracy. Since she is the only one of the three Republicans running for reelection this year and the president has repeatedly criticized her and called on his base to boot her out, Collins especially deserves recognition for upholding the constitutional obligation of Congress.
The founders were very clear about this: They vested the power to declare war with Congress precisely because decisions of war and peace were never meant to rest with one person alone. James Madison warned that the executive is “most prone” to war, and concentrating such power in a single office posed a grave threat to liberty. Congress was meant to serve as the people’s voice — debating and authorizing the use of military force in concert with the commander in chief.
Yet over time, Congress has too often stood on the sidelines. Lawmakers have ceded their constitutional authority to the executive branch, allowing presidents of both parties to unilaterally order military force without seeking congressional input or authorization. This abdication has eroded our system of checks and balances and concentrated dangerous amounts of power in the executive branch.
If the Venezuela war powers resolution had passed, it would have allowed our elected representatives to reassert a basic truth: Congress is not a spectator. It is a co-equal branch of government designed to serve as a check on executive power. Furthermore, this congressional action would have gone a long way to reassert the founders’ view that Congress, and not the president, is the leading branch of government when it comes to the use of military force.
The founders deeply understood that when this power is vested in one person, it creates the possibility for abuse. The presidency has mostly been occupied by men with deep respect for the Constitution, the separation of powers, the rule of law, and long-held customs of behavior. President Trump has increasingly ignored or violated these “rules of the road,” viewing them as annoying barriers to doing whatever he wants, regardless of what the people want or the price we pay for his actions. This is why the people’s branch, Congress, must once again reassert its constitutional role.
Congress should take additional action by advancing the National Security Powers Act, which would restore Congress’ constitutional role over war-making, emergency powers, and military deployments. As a recent nationwide poll conducted by Issue One — a leading crosspartisan political reform group — revealed, American voters are increasingly concerned about too much power being concentrated in the presidency. Two-thirds (66%) support requiring congressional notification for military strikes abroad and congressional approval for acts of war, with only 20% opposing such requirements. Like the resolution that Sen. Collins voted for, the National Security Powers Act reinforces the separation of powers exactly as the founders intended.
The erosion of Article I authority did not happen overnight, and it would have never been reversed with a single vote. But moments like this matter because they signal a willingness to change course and place constitutional principle over the president’s desires or partisan politics.
For the Republicans like Collins who voted for accountability and congressional authority, this was not an easy vote. Pushing back against this president carries real political risk. Yet the American people want to see a Congress that takes its role seriously, even when doing so is difficult. The senators who supported this resolution, particularly those who were willing to break with their party’s leadership, have shown that such leadership is still possible.
For that, regardless of your politics, Sen. Collins and others deserve thanks and encouragement to keep going. Reclaiming Congress’ war powers and Article I authority is not radical. It’s not partisan. It’s restorative and the right thing to do. Our democracy depends on it.
