The head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said it is now up to Congress to craft use-of-force legislation that “can in fact pass muster” in both the House and Senate, he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Sen. Bob Corker said he would begin a series of “robust hearings” to determine what the strategy is to counter the growing threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The terrorist organization “is metastisizing,” the Tennessee Republican said. “They are in multiple other countries” besides Iraq and Syria, and pose a significant threat not only because it has shown the capability to hold territory in both Iraq and Syria, but also to “be able to enlist people in countries they are not in,” Corker said.
The chairman said the president’s initial draft of the authorization for the use of military force, which has been criticized for vague language that prohibits the use of ground forces in “enduring offensive ground combat operations,” is a “legislative vehicle” that will be amended to gain the support of Congress, Corker said. “It’s important to get behind an authorization.”
