Obama asks congress to authorize military force against ISIS
Congress to authorize the use of military force
against the Islamic State terror group in the
coming days, even as lawmakers said crafting
and passing such a measure would be a
challenge.
The U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes
against the terrorists, most commonly known as
ISIS, in Iraq and Syria since August and
September, respectively. In doing so, Obama has
been relying on congressional authorizations
that President George W. Bush used to justify
military action after the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11, 2001. Critics have called the White House's
use of post-9/11 congressional authorizations a
legal stretch, though Obama has previously
argued that a new authorization isn't legally
necessary.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said
Thursday that the administration is dedicated to
getting a new authorization with bipartisian
support. He declined to comment on specific
provisions, including how long the authorization
will last, what geographical areas it will cover
and whether it will allow for the possibility of
ground troops. Earnest said those details were
still being worked out.
"When it comes to fighting a war, the Congress
should not tie the president's hands, House
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters
Thursday morning. However, Boehner later
added, "It's also incumbent on the president to
make the case to the American people on why
we need to fight this fight. This is not going to
be an easy lift."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,
said talks with the administration are focusing
on an authorization time frame of three years,
while the other issues are still being worked out.
Pelosi added that she ultimately expects a
compromise on the outstanding issues to be
reached and added that she hopes Congress will
repeal the 2002 congressional authorization for
the war in Iraq while retaining the 2001
authorization for military action in Afghanistan.
"I'm not saying anybody's come to an
agreement on it," Pelosi said. "I think it's going
to be a challenge, but we will have it."
The developments come after Islamic militants
released a grisly video of the murder of a
Jordanian Air Force pilot by burning him alive.
Pelosi also said that the U.S. should "move
quickly" to steer military aid to Jordan, which
has begun a stepped-up campaign against the
militants, including a series of air strikes in
Syria.
Republicans generally want a broader
authorization of military action against the
militants, who have overrun wide swaths of Iraq
and Syria, than Democrats have been willing to
consider. Obama has said he does not intend to
have U.S. "boots on the ground" in combat
roles, while many Republicans believe that
option ought to be available to the military.
Secretary of State John Kerry has testified that
any new authorization should not limit U.S.
military action to just Iraq and Syria or prevent
the president from deploying ground troops if he
later deems them necessary. Kerry also said
that if the new authorization has a time limit,
there should be a provision for it to be renewed.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the ranking member
of the House intelligence panel, has already
introduced legislation rather than wait for
Obama's version. His bill would authorize the
use of force against ISIS in Iraq and Syria for
three years, but prohibit the use of ground
forces in a combat mission in either nation. He
has said if the president later decided to deploy
ground troops, he could return to Congress to
ask for new authority.
"It is my hope that the administration will be
willing to accept important limits in a new
authorization as well as the sunset or repeal of
the old [authorizations], as this will be
necessary to ensure strong bipartisan support
and meet the goals the president set last
summer of refining and repealing the prior
authorizations," Schiff said in a statement
Thursday, using the acronym for authorization
for use of military force.
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