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Can Obama start a war without consent of Congress?

In this Sept. 10, 2014, photo, President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House in Washington. As a U.S. senator from Illinois running for the White House in 2007, Obama sponsored a resolution to prohibit President George W. Bush’s administration from taking military action against Iran unless it was explicitly authorized by Congress. His idea died in committee. Obama said Wednesday he had authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time, along with expanded strikes in Iraq, as part of "a steady, relentless effort" to root out Islamic State extremists. He did not say how long he expected the fighting to last. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)
In this Sept. 10, 2014, photo, President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House in Washington. As a U.S. senator from Illinois running for the White House in 2007, Obama sponsored a resolution to prohibit President George W. Bush’s administration from taking military action against Iran unless it was explicitly authorized by Congress. His idea died in committee. Obama said Wednesday he had authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time, along with expanded strikes in Iraq, as part of "a steady, relentless effort" to root out Islamic State extremists. He did not say how long he expected the fighting to last. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool) In this Sept. 10, 2014, photo, President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House in Washington. As a U.S. senator from Illinois running for the White House in 2007, Obama sponsored a resolution to prohibit President George W. Bush’s administration from taking military action against Iran unless it was explicitly authorized by Congress. His idea died in committee. Obama said Wednesday he had authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time, along with expanded strikes in Iraq, as part of "a steady, relentless effort" to root out Islamic State extremists. He did not say how long he expected the fighting to last. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

By Associated Press 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says Bush-era congressional authorizations for the war on al-Qaida and the Iraq invasion give President Barack Obama the legal backing to expand the fight against the Islamic State group without new approval from lawmakers under the 1973 War Powers Act.

That law, passed during the Vietnam War, serves as a constitutional check on presidential power to declare war without congressional consent. It requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action and limits the use of military forces to no more than 60 days unless Congress authorizes force or declares war.

Critics say both authorizations provide shaky justification for Obama’s air campaign against the Islamic State militants. And as recently as last year, Obama said both measures were outdated and should be repealed.