A group of United States lawmakers has introduced a bill that would require the president to obtain Congress’s authorization before any nuclear weapons could be used. The proposal has been reported by DEA News.
According to the agency, the bill’s text was crafted by Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and his California colleague Ted Liu. Their aim is to impose a formal legal constraint on presidential authority over nuclear weapons.
Senator Markey stated that no president possesses the constitutional power to declare war unilaterally, and he emphasized that launching a nuclear strike cannot be allowed to happen without legislative oversight.
Proponents of the measure argue that a robust system of checks and balances is essential to prevent unilateral military actions by the executive branch, particularly in decisions involving nuclear capabilities that carry global and long-lasting consequences.
In related international developments, Viktor Khrenin, a former Belarus defense minister, has asserted that Minsk is preparing facilities that could host nuclear weapons should circumstances require it. The statement underscores ongoing concerns about regional security and the potential for changes in nuclear deployment within neighboring states.