Rep. Schiff: Congress 'Should Have A Vote' On ISIS Military Action
PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — A Southland lawmaker is calling for President Obama to seek Congressional authorization for any expanded military effort to confront violent Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
KNX 1070's Brian Ping reports Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena) is among the congressional leaders Obama planned to meet with Tuesday ahead of a scheduled address to the nation Wednesday night.
Rep. Schiff: Congress 'Should Have A Vote' On Further Military Action Against ISIS
Ahead of his remarks to the American people, White House officials have not specified whether the president will seek a formal authorization for military action as part of his plan to get lawmakers to "buy in" to the new strategy, The Associated Press reported.
Lawmakers in Congress are largely split over whether Obama needs new authorization to attack the Islamic State (ISIS) militants. Some lawmakers say the president has the authority under the Constitution and no new vote is necessary. Others are reluctant to vote weeks before midterm elections.
Schiff - who is also a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee - said that while he supports the President's actions in Iraq last month to protect American personnel, Mr. Obama should consult with Congress before taking any further action.
"We're clearly moving beyond strictly the protection of American people, which is something the President can do under his own constitutional authority, to, as the President says, go on the offensive against ISIS," said Schiff. "For that, Congress really needs to buy in, and I don't mean just appropriating the funds, but I think we should have a vote."
Administration officials said Obama is expected to outline a broader counterterrorism effort to defeat the Islamic State, moving beyond the current limited mission aimed at using airstrikes to safeguard U.S. interests in Iraq and to ease humanitarian crises. The president will also reiterate his call for Congress to pass a $500 million plan to arm and train the Syrian rebels and ask for similar commitments from allies.
Secretary of State John Kerry was traveling to the Middle East Tuesday to discuss those efforts with leaders in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that the militants pose a serious threat that must be dealt with in Iraq, Syria or wherever they exist. He said no decision would be made on whether Congress would vote until Obama laid out his plan, but the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said it was highly unlikely there would be a vote this month.
"As a practical matter, I don't really see the time that it would take to really get this out and have a full debate and discuss all the issues," Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., told reporters after a closed-door briefing on national security threats. He said his panel has 62 members and they'd "probably come up with 10 or 30 or 40 different ideas just from those people."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called on Obama to identify the military objectives and explain how they will be accomplished.
"He needs to present this plan to the Congress and the American people, and where the president believes he lacks authority to execute such a strategy, he needs to explain to the Congress how additional authority for the use of force will protect America," McConnell said. "The threat from ISIL is real and it's growing. It's time for President Obama to exercise some leadership in launching a response." ISIL is an alternative name for the militants.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California were to represent Democrats in the meeting with the president.
The U.S. is already launching airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, action taken at the request of the Iraqi government and without formal authorization from Congress. But the mission the president is expected to announce would be more expansive and could extend into Syria.
The White House said Obama would speak Wednesday at 9 p.m. EDT from the White House.
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