New Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said he expects Congress will “get the ball rolling” on legislation this month to give the White House expanded authority to conduct military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants.
“It’s got to be sooner rather than later,” the Arizona Republican told reporters Tuesday.
In December, the then-Democratic controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved along partisan lines a measure to give President Obama more leeway in using the military to fight foreign terrorists. The bill, which barred the use of ground forces, died after it failed to receive a vote in the full Senate.
But with Republicans now controlling both houses of Congress, McCain said the matter is a vital national security priority. The measure will be primarily handled by the foreign relations committee with input from the armed services panel, he said.
McCain said he is “begging” the Obama administration to produce a draft of the bill, known as an Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, but that the Senate is ready to act regardless.
“It really should be from the White House,” McCain said. “But we’re not going to wait very long.”
While Republicans are eager to give Obama more say in conducting overseas operations, many Democrats are reluctant to do so, putting the administration in the unique position of siding with Republicans.
“We’re talking about flexibility here,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said last month. “The president has been unequivocal about not sending ground troops into Iraq and Syria but if there’s a need to send [special operations soldiers] in to rescue American hostages, then there’s a need for the commander in chief to have that kind of flexibility here.”
McCain said Republicans are comfortable with giving Obama more authority in how to use the military because Congress must approve funding for such operations, essentially giving Capitol Hill the final say.
“When the Vietnam War was over, the United States Congress cut off all funding [for overseas military operations]. That was their constitutional authority to do so,” he said. “So rather than restrict with an authorization, use the power of the purse if you don’t want the president to engage in foreign operations.”
