The U.S Congress is the legislature of the Federal Government of the United States. It is bicameral, which means that it consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The constitutional job assigned to Congress is to check the presidential power. The following are the roles of the Congress when it comes to U.S Foreign policy.
Controlling foreign aid for a defence project
It is the role of the Congress to either cut or increase or cut a budget directed towards defense projects. For instance, this can happen by stipulating the time which U.S troops are deployed in the event of an international crisis. By this, Congress can decide to cut aid for the forces beyond a specified period.
Declare war
One of the roles of the Congress is to declare war. The power to declare war is exercised either through speech or signing documents to declare a state of war between the two nations. On declaration, the president now has the power to lead the military as the Commander in Chief. The Congress has so far been able to declare war four times.
Limiting the action of the president on foreign policy
Congress is also tasked with restricting the freedom of the presidency for acting on the foreign policy. This can happen through the formulation of laws that are meant to limit freedom.
Approving treaties
It is the role of Congress also to support foreign trade and treaties. The executive branch is responsible for negotiations concerned with the treaties. Once the negotiations are done, then the treaties are forwarded to the Senate for approval. Congress also has the power to deny approval of the treaties or amend them.
Institutionalising human rights
The Congress institutionalises human rights by for creating laws concerned with limiting the movement and trade relations with parties believed to infringe on human rights. A good example is the case of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was killed. The Congress restricted Russian officials who were believed to be connected with his death, from travelling.
Stalling legislation
One of the legislation that the Congress has managed to delay is one concerned with cybersecurity. This saw even more Americans developing an interest in how to setup VPN USA in android mobile, among other VPN functions for data security.
The legislation and executive relationship in the U.DS are complicated. This is due to the differing views concerning the formation and implementation of foreign policy. With time, new policy objectives keep arising. The two bodies are however working to create measures that are less restrictive of presidential power; this is in a bid to make it more flexible.