Congress hasn't officially declared war since 1942. Here are 11 military operations presidents launched anyway.

• Both houses of Congress have advanced War Powers resolutions in the wake of the war with Iran.
• Presidents have repeatedly ordered military operations without Congress since WWII.
• In some instances, lawmakers have checked the president’s power in response.

While the strikes had the broad support of Republican lawmakers, Democrats and Republican Thomas Massie criticized the operation’s lack of authorization from Congress, NPR reported.

2026 US raid inside Venezuela

On January 3, the Trump administration conducted surprise strikes on Venezuela that deposed the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was captured and brought to the US, where he faces narco-terrorism and other drug charges. The former Venezuelan leader has pleaded not guilty.

The Trump administration justified the strikes by calling them “law-enforcement operations” to target what it called Maduro’s “narco-terrorist organization.”

The strikes resulted in about 75 deaths, including two civilians and 32 Cuban special forces, per the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Seven American troops were injured.

Critics in Congress questioned the legality of the intervention. While a war powers resolution was brought to the floor for a vote in the Senate, it was blocked by the Republican-led majority.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in March 2026. It was most recently updated in June 2026.