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 (HR 2278) that would prevent the use of funds to pay for U.S. participation in any aspect of the NATO effort except intelligence, surveillance, search-and-rescue and other “non-hostile” support activities.

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 Tom Rooney, R-Fla., Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Thursday with the House Democratic Caucus to appeal for support of Obama administration policy.

Tim Walz, D-Minn., said Clinton “expressed her deep concern that you’re probably not on the right track when Qaddafi supports your efforts.” The Libyan dictator has signaled his approval of resolutions calling for the withdrawal of U.S. support from the operation.

But Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said the measure would not disrupt the U.S. support role in the Libyan conflict and maintained that the legislation is “going to come forward” Friday.

“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 (H J Res 68) sponsored by Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., that would authorize the Libya operation. That proposal, similar to a resolution offered by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., is unlikely to be passed.

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. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. “If we withdraw from our air war over Libya, it will lengthen the conflict, increase its cost to American taxpayers, and raise doubts about U.S. leadership among friends and foes alike.”

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.”