President or Congress? Who in the US has the power to declare war?

The article examines the constitutional tension over war powers between the U.S. presidency and Congress, noting that presidents have repeatedly circumvented Congress's formal authority to declare war while some lawmakers have attempted to reassert legislative control. The Constitution assigns Congress the power to declare war, but presidents have historically invoked executive authority to commit troops to military operations without a formal declaration, from Korea to Vietnam to Iraq. This ongoing dispute reflects a fundamental constitutional ambiguity about whether the president's role as commander-in-chief permits unilateral military action or whether Congress's power of the purse and declaration authority must be respected. The gap between constitutional text and presidential practice has widened considerably since World War II, creating recurring legislative efforts to reclaim war-powers authority through measures like the War Powers Resolution of 1973.