House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized President Obama’s Sunday night address to the nation, saying he did not believe it adequately addressed the threat of terrorism.
“I don’t feel any safer,” McCarthy said in response to the speech, in which Obama identified the San Bernardino attack as an act of terrorism. Obama also called on Congress to pass new gun laws.
“I wanted to hear from the president there would be a change in policy, a change in strategy,” McCarthy said. “I also wanted to hear a change in attitude from him.”
McCarthy called on Obama to send a new proposal to Congress outlining his plan to defeat Islamic State terrorists. McCarthy said a February proposal requesting authorization for the use of military force, formally sent to Congress by the Obama administration, was not adequate.
According to McCarthy, if Congress adopted Obama’s February AUMF, he would have less power to defeat the Islamic State than he has operating under the 2001 and 2002 authorization issued by Congress.
“I don’t think it was a serious approach,” McCarthy said. “In the world we have today, it would have to be something different.”
Congress has also been unwilling to come up with their own plan and instead. Republicans say it is up to Obama.
“He has the authority to go to and destroy ISIS with the current AUMF he has,” McCarthy said.
