House Speaker [crscore]Paul Ryan[/crscore] wants to formally declare war on Islamic State by reinvigorating the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) the U.S. has relied on since 2001, but Republicans simply don’t trust the Obama administration.
Both Republicans and Democrats want a new AUMF proposal, especially in wake of the U.S. launching a vicious campaign of airstrikes against ISIS, Politico reports.
Ryan’s reintroduction of the discussion represents the best chance so far of actually pushing a new AUMF through Congress, as the last attempt by Former House Speaker [crscore]John Boehner[/crscore] failed miserably.
Congress turned away the Obama administration’s AUMF submission in 2014.
The move was well-received by House Foreign Affairs Chairman [crscore]Ed Royce[/crscore], who said in a statement, “I’m looking forward to continuing our discussions. As I’ve said before, if we can get an AUMF done that ensures our commanders have the flexibility they need to defeat ISIS, I want to move it.”
But Royce then added that the Obama administration already has the authority it needs to conduct airstrikes against ISIS, though he said that Thursday he will begin meeting with Republican members to see about potential support for the proposal. A recent RAND Corporation report disputes that characterization and criticizes the Obama administration for contorting the 2001 AUMF, such that the legal justification for war also applies to ISIS.
Some other members aren’t particularly interested in rocking the boat.
Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly believes the proposal has a minuscule chance of passing, mostly because seemingly redundant authorization places more responsibility on members of Congress for the Obama administration’s foreign policy.
“In a perfect world, on paper, I’m all for it,” GOP Rep. [crscore]Tom Rooney[/crscore] said, according to Politico. “But when it comes to Obama and his red lines and his flub-ups he’s had internationally, I hate to be seen giving him the authority or green light or my vote to do anything because I have no confidence in him at all in that theater.”
A White House official told Politico the administration is willing to negotiate on the AUMF proposal it submitted last February. It would remove authorization for the Iraq war in 2002 and allow military action against ISIS, with the exception that the U.S. cannot rely on offensive ground combat efforts. The AUMF would expire in three years. Republicans, however, are wary of placing limits on troops.
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