WASHINGTON — The US House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat has introduced a measure that would give a legal foundation to ongoing military operations against the Islamic State.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Wednesday rolled out an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) that would, if passed by both chambers, give Congress' legal blessing to the air strikes and indigenous force training.
It also would nix an AUMF passed in 2002 for the George W. Bush administration's Iraq war, while "sunsetting" itself and the AUMF approved in the days after 9/11.
Notably, the legislation echoes calls from Senate Democrats by prohibiting the use of US ground forces for combat missions in Iraq and Syria.
"More than five months after strikes began against [the Islamic State] in Syria and Iraq, Congress has yet to debate and take a vote on an authorization to wage war, in clear abdication of our constitutional duties," Schiff said in a statement.
"There is no doubt that our current offensive amounts to war," he said, "and Congress should take action both to authorize its prosecution and to set limits on that authorization so it may not be used by any future administration in a manner contrary to our intent."
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House Speaker Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters last week he expects the lower chamber to vote on an Islamic State AUMF by the spring.
So far, however, House Republicans, who which control the chamber, have yet to craft an authorization measure.
Over in the Senate, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says he is waiting on the White House to draft and submit an AUMF that would be the starting point for lawmakers.
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass one. But he did not mention the White House submitting a draft version, which Corker is expecting before holding hearings and a mark up at the committee level.
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