Tag: CRS

By Steven Aftergood The President’s authority to use nuclear weapons — which is the subject of a congressional hearing today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — was addressed in several recent publications of the Congressional Research Service. A new CRS Legal Sidebar addresses the unresolved question: Can Congress Limit the President’s Power to Launch Nuclear Weapons? A detailed new CRS memorandum examines “Legislation Limiting the President’s Power to Use Nuclear Weapons: Separation of Powers Implications.” See also Defense Primer: President’s Constitutional Authority with Regard to the Armed Forces, CRS In Focus. The uncertain scope of presidential authority to…