WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner told President Barack Obama on Friday that Republicans would work with the administration on a new authorization of military force against ISIS — but not until next year and only after the White House formally proposes its own version.
There is growing momentum in Congress to either replace or significantly rework the 2001 Authorized Use of Military Force law that has been the basis of ongoing anti-terror efforts around the world. On Wednesday, Obama acknowledged the need for new authority, urging Congress to "update" the law to reflect the new fight against ISIS.
During a meeting with Obama and a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders, Boehner told the president that he was open to addressing the AUMF, but "reminded him that historically the commander-in-chief has identified the need for the use of military force, written a new AUMF, sent it to Capitol Hill, and worked to build bipartisan support for its passage. The Ohio Republican "urged the president to do so in this case, and said that if he does, House Republicans will be ready to work with him to get it approved," according to a readout of the meeting provided by Boehner's office.
Following the meeting, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Boehner had also warned that votes on a new AUMF wouldn't happen until next year. In the past, Boehner has indicated he'd prefer to have newly elected members involved in the debate, rather than pushing it through during the upcoming lameduck session.
That decision angered Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the Intelligence Committee and a proponent of writing a new, tailored AUMF. "Congress should never have recessed prior to the elections while a new war was getting underway, and it must not compound this abdication of its Constitutional duty by failing to take up a war authorization during the lame duck session," Schiff said in a statement. "I'm deeply disappointed that the Speaker appears determined to defer any real debate over the war until next year."