Reagan invokes War Powers Resolution for Lebanon, Congress authorizes 18-month deployment

President Ronald Reagan invokes the War Powers Resolution for the first and only time in his presidency, acknowledging U.S. Marine involvement in hostilities in Lebanon. Congress passes a joint resolution authorizing an 18-month deployment under the terms of the War Powers Resolution — the only instance since the resolution''s passage where Congress formally authorizes ongoing military operations using the WPR framework. The authorization comes weeks before a suicide bombing kills 241 U.S. servicemembers at the Marine barracks in Beirut. Reagan withdraws troops in 1984. The Lebanon episode is cited as evidence that the WPR can function as intended — but the exceptional nature of congressional compliance in this single case shows how rarely it actually does.