A bipartisan group of senators made a new push Thursday to have Congress authorize the Obama administration’s military action against the Islamic State, even though the chances of passage remain slim for any authorization bill.
The group proposed an Authorization for Use of Military Force that would provide for retroactive congressional approval for the ongoing U.S. air campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. Senate supporters said in a press conference that passing the bill would signal American resolve to destroy the Islamic State and fix a big legal problem with the military effort.
“The fight against ISIL is just,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a lead advocate of the measure. “But it’s illegal.”
Other supporters of the measure, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Reps. Peter Welch D-Vt., and Scott Rigell, R-Va., told reporters they are standing up for Congress’ exclusive power to declare war.
But they have long odds of getting the measure even a vote in the House or Senate, as the parties remain divided over what the bill should authorize. Democrats want to bar deployment of ground troops in Syria. Most Republicans, wary of limiting the next president’s choices, want to leave that door open.
Lawmakers feel little urgency to resolve the dispute, since Obama and top administration officials assert a broad 2001 authorization for combating terrorism already provides power to wage war on the Islamic State.
GOP leaders prefer to punt rather than risk a divisive debate on a bill that will not pass.
“Many of our colleagues don’t want to get on the record,” Flake said. “It might be a tough vote for some.”
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says the chamber won’t act on a proposed authorization Obama sent Congress early this year. McCarthy said Obama should send a new plan, but no new options have been forthcoming from the administration.
In the Senate, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says he won’t bring up the Kaine-Flake bill, or any alternative, in his committee. Corker says none have the votes to pass.
Republicans also argue Obama’s claim that he doesn’t need the authorization shows he is not seriously seeking it. Obama’s Sunday call for Congress to authorize the campaign against the Islamic State was not accompanied by any outreach to members of Congress or staff, GOP aides said.