U.S. House panel OKs war powers debate call
Plan would repeal Congress’ 2001 authorization.
California Democrat Barbara Lee says it’s past time for Congress to retake its role as authorizer of the use of American military force.
A stunning move this week by a House panel to force a debate on new presidential war powers revealed mounting frus- tration that Congress has for too long dodged one of its most important responsi- bilities: to decide whether to send American fighting forces into harm’s way.
The measure crafted by Rep. Barbara Lee of California, an anti-war Demo- crat and the only member of Congress to oppose the post-Sept. 11, 2001, autho- rization, demands a debate on new war powers to reflect how the dynamics of the battlefield have shifted as American troops battle an enemy — the Islamic State — that didn’t exist 16 years ago in a country — Syria — that the U.S. didn’t expect to be fighting in.
Members of the Repub- lican-led House Appropri- ations Committee voted overwhelmingly Thursday to add Lee’s amendment to its version of the 2018 military spending bill. Her measure would repeal the 2001 authorization — which has been broadly interpreted by President Donald Trump and his predecessors to permit military operations beyond those envisioned at the time — 240 days after the spend- ing bill is enacted.
Lee said the eight months “would allow plenty of time for Congress to finally live up to its constitutional obliga- tion to debate and vote on any new AUMF,” using the acronym for authorization for the use of military force.
“Any administration can rely on this blank check to wage war,” Lee said.
Lee won the vocal back- ing of several conserva- tive lawmakers, highlight- ing the breadth of support for debating new war powers. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Congress has avoided its war-making responsibilities for years.
“We’ve had leadership honestly on both sides that have put off this debate again and again and again,” Cole said. “If we’re going to send people to war, we owe them the support of the Congress of the United States.”
Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, the chairwoman of the panel’s defense subcommittee, opposed the measure and warned her colleagues they were making a serious mistake. She called the amend- ment a “dealbreaker” that would tie the hands of the U.S. to act on its own or with other countries to attack and defeat terrorist groups.
AshLee Strong, a spokes- woman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, said of Lee’s amendment. “There is a way to have this debate, but this, which endangers our national security, is not it,” she said.