The White House has submitted a $1.5 trillion military spending request to Congress — not to defend American soil, but to sustain a pattern of offensive military action the administration has carried out against Venezuela, Iran, and others, none of which posed an imminent threat to the United States.

Said President Trump: "We're fighting wars" — offered as the reason ordinary Americans cannot have childcare, Medicaid, or Medicare.

The Founders gave Congress the power to declare war and hold the purse for a reason. The defense appropriations bill is the last remaining check Congress holds over an executive that has already brushed off war powers resolutions. What Congress votes on next is not a budget line. It is a question of honor.