CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
June 23, 2011 – 1:32 p.m.
Libya Bill Gains Ground Despite White House
By Alan K. Ota and Emily Cadei, CQ Staff
A last-minute White House appeal did little to reduce the momentum behind a House measure intended to reduce the U.S. role in the NATO-led operation in Libya.
Many House Republicans — along with some Democrats — indicated they will vote for a GOP bill (
Although such a bill would be unlikely to advance in the Senate, backers of President Obama’s policy in Libya have expressed alarm about the signal that House action could send to NATO allies and to Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi; the coalition is trying to pressure Qaddafi into stepping down.
The measure’s support in the House reflects congressional concern about the wisdom of the involvement in Libya and the administration’s insistence that the U.S. role does not require congressional authorization.
In a sign of how worried the White House has become about the bill, sponsored by
But Speaker
“The president has ignored the Constitution and the War Powers resolution, but he cannot ignore a lack of funding,” Rooney said in a written statement. “Only Congress has the power to declare war and the power of the purse, and my bill exercises both of those powers by blocking funds for the war in Libya unless the president receives congressional authorization.”
The Rules Committee set parameters for floor consideration of two Libya-related measures. In addition to the Rooney bill, the panel approved ground rules for consideration of a resolution (
Kerry, McCain and other senators have lambasted House Republicans for moving forward with the rebuke of Obama’s strategy.
“Rather than push the Obama administration to do what is necessary to bring this conflict to a successful conclusion, members of Congress are pushing to restrict our military campaign,” Sens.
Boehner rejected that argument. “I believe that NATO is an important organization. . . . I don’t want to do anything that would undermine NATO, or to send a signal to our allies around the world that we are not going to be engaged,” he said.
But, Boehner continued, “I think the strategy was flawed from the beginning.” He said a strategy based on “hope that Qaddafi would leave begged the question of how long are we going to be there.”
Libya Bill Gains Ground Despite White House
And, he concluded, “The president’s failure to consult with the Congress, failure to outline to the American people why we’re doing this, before we engaged in this, puts us in the position where we have to defend our responsibilities under the Constitution.”
Divisions in House
Lawmakers in both parties are divided on the Rooney measure, although many Republicans echoed Boehner’s position, calling for a funding limitation that would rule out combat troops and drone strikes, unless Obama makes a convincing case for such military involvement.
“Until [Obama] does that, the Congress has the right to restrict the funds,” said
Despite Clinton’s attempts to rally party support for the administration’s policy on Libya, Democrats also appeared conflicted about Friday’s votes.
Walz said the Clinton briefing “was, for me, the most articulate description of the mission” the administration has offered. “I think it was well-received,” he said.
But
The 1973 law (PL 93-148) requires the president to obtain congressional authorization when sending U.S. forces into conflicts.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents 75 House Democrats, cited the law in a statement Thursday urging colleagues to vote to cut off funding for the use of force in Libya. But after the meeting with Clinton, the group’s co-chairman,
“I’m glad the U.S. joined with NATO to protect the Libyan people,” Ellison said. He added that he is concerned about the effect of the Rooney proposal on the NATO alliance in dealing with future conflicts. “So next time we need NATO, they’ll pass a resolution saying we’re not going help, this way or that way,” Ellison said.
Kucinich, however, said he encouraged colleagues “to keep this discussion analytical” rather than respond to appeals based on partisanship.
A number of members have yet to stake out public positions on the Rooney bill.