Sen. Tim Kaine said that the White House balked at bringing up an authorization to use military force to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria when the Virginia Democrat pressed the administration to do so ahead of last November’s elections.
Kaine said the Obama administration wasn’t alone in being skittish on the topic ahead of the elections. He said Congress also was unwilling to take up a resolution at the time.
“Congress wouldn’t vote on it before the midterm,” Kaine said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Kaine and other lawmakers have pressed President Obama to issue an authorization that would detail a plan for combating the Islamic State. The United States began airstrikes in September as part of a coalition in an attempt to weaken Islamic State positions.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told NBC News that he expects the order to come in a “matter of days,” but that passing it won’t be an “easy lift.” Kaine also expected the authorization soon, saying, “I think the White House will send an authorization up.”
The discussion comes as U.S. military officials are gathering intelligence to see if American ground troops will be needed in the area. While some lawmakers would support a U.S. troop presence, others prefer arming regional forces while continuing airstrikes.
