Political Results on the Invasion of Cambodia
Political ResultsThe incursion also angered many in Congress, who felt that Nixon was illegally widening the scope of the war; this resulted in a series of congressional resolutions and legislative initiatives that would severely limit the executive power of the president.
Foreign Military Sales Act of 1971The reaction to the incursion was swift. Senators Frank Church and John Cooper proposed the Foreign Military Sales Act. This would have not only cut off funding for ground operations and advisors in Cambodia, but would have cut of air support of Cambodian forces. On June 30, the U.S. Congress passed the act with the amendment included. The new amendment rescind the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, under which Presidents Johnson and Nixon conducted numerous military actions without a declaration of war.
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Cooper-Church Amendment
The Cooper-Church Amendment was resurrected during the winter and incorporated into the Supplementary Foreign Assistance Act of 1970. This time the measure made it through both houses of Congress and became law on 22 December. This amendment was created by Frank Church and John Cooper to end funding of ground troops in Cambodia and Laos and to end support of the Republic of Vietnam forces outside territorial South Vietnam. The amendment barred funds to U.S. troops in Cambodia after July 1 or to supply any military support to Cambodia without congressional support.