Rep. Darrell Issa introduced a bill Wednesday that would require the President to personally approve a drone strike that targets a U.S. citizen in a foreign country.
“Since 2009, four U.S. citizens have been killed by secret U.S. operations in Yemen and Pakistan — three of which we know involved drone strikes,” Issa said. “ As the United States continues to expand its use of drones, Congress must enact safeguards to ensure that Americans and our allies are not targeted without adequate due process.”
Issa noted the President can delegate decisions about targeting citizens for lethal strikes. His bill would prohibit this delegation in order to ensure the President is accountable and requires him to personally confirm a citizen’s status as an enemy combatant and the necessity of lethal force.
The bill also requires the President, after the attack, to notify Congress of such operations with a detailed explanation of how enemy combatant status was determined and why lethal force was necessary.
H.R. 137, the Designating Requirements On Notification of Executive-ordered Strikes (DRONES) Act, was one of five bills re-introduced by Issa at the start of the 114th Congress.
Issa’s 49th District covers north coastal San Diego County and south Orange County.
