Congressional Relations, Military

This entry discusses the constitutional and statutory complexities associated with free exchange of information and appropriation requests between the military and members of Congress. “Congressional relations in the military” is an abstract term that is neither constitutionally nor statutorily defined. To compound matters, the Anti-Lobbying Act of 1919, codified at 18 U.S.C. 1913, creates a dichotomy where the military is prohibited from lobbying members of Congress and is also under a duty to provide timely information to Congress related to military programs and corresponding appropriations requests. As stated in 18 U.S.C. 1913,