Pelosi asks for a meeting of all members about Ukraine

Official U.S. Embassy photograph by: Archibald Sackey and Courage Ahiati.

As fears of a Russian invasion escalate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) requested an all-member briefing on the Ukraine situation.

Over 100,000 troops, including infantry, tanks, and other armored vehicles, as well as naval forces, have gathered on Russia's western border with Ukraine in recent weeks. President Joe Biden is considering deploying US soldiers into the East European country in retaliation to this force buildup, perhaps setting the ground for a catastrophic battle between the two powers.

Although Biden has been in talks with the Kremlin for weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained his army buildup along the Ukraine-Russia border. This perilous position prompted the US to order the evacuation of family members of its diplomatic employees from Kyiv "out of an abundance of caution," while authorizing voluntary departures for non-essential personnel. The United Kingdom authorized the evacuation of some of its employees and envoy families following the State Department statement.

In recent decades, Congress has adopted a more hands-off approach to armed combat, generally relying on the president and his military staff to make crucial military choices. While Congress has provided the president use-of-force authorizations or expressed thoughts on military action on occasion, the contemporary commander-in-chief has almost complete discretion over military issues.

25 Jan 2022