Sen. Adam Schiff was caught off guard during an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher when host Bill Maher presented a quote about presidential war powers that Schiff initially criticized — before learning it came from the administration of Barack Obama.
During the interview, Maher read a statement asserting that a president has constitutional authority to use military force if he determines it is in the national interest. Schiff immediately criticized the reasoning as too vague
Maher then revealed that the quote was not about current military operations ordered by President Donald Trump but instead came from a 2011 legal justification used by the Obama administration for U.S. military intervention in Libya
The statement originated from the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, which argued that the president had the authority to direct military force because he could reasonably determine the action served the national interest
After Maher revealed the source of the quote, Schiff shifted the discussion to the Obama administration’s deliberations over military action in Syria. He said Obama ultimately chose not to move forward with strikes against then-Syrian leader Bashar al‑Assad after failing to secure congressional support.
Schiff then turned the conversation to the current conflict involving Iran, arguing that Congress — not the president — holds the constitutional authority to declare war. He warned that allowing presidents to conduct extended military operations without congressional approval could weaken the balance of powers established by the U.S. Constitution.
The discussion comes as lawmakers debate President Trump’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury. The United States House of Representatives recently voted 212–219 to reject a bipartisan resolution that would have blocked the president from continuing the strikes
Schiff argued that Congress must reassert its authority over war powers, warning that failing to do so could allow future presidents to launch military conflicts without legislative oversight.
