House Speaker John Boehner said the United States likely will need to expand its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria beyond President Obama’s request to arm and train opposition rebels, calling the plan an “interim step.”
But the Ohio Republican stopped short of demanding an immediate call for broader action, saying the decision is up to the president.
“I just think that if our goal here is to destroy [the Islamic State], we’ve got to do more than train a few folks in Syria and train a few folks in Iraq and dropping a few bombs,” Boehner told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday. “I just don’t know if it’s enough to achieve the objectives the president outlined.”
Both chambers of Congress are expected this week to easily approve the president’s request to support the Syrian rebels.
Still, Boehner called the president’s request a “sound one” — at least for now. And the speaker suggested he won’t call for a vote before the November elections for broader action against the Islamic State, saying any expansion in fighting — including possibly involving U.S. combat troops — will come from the White House.
“If that authorization was requested by the White House, they would make the request [to Congress], and they would offer the resolution. [And] the president has not asked, nor has he supplied a resolution,” Boehner said.
“This [vote this week] is an interim step to do what the president asked for. It does not preclude us from revisiting the issue of a broader use of military force. … And when we get to that point, we will.”
