The Hill: House Dem: Justification for Syria strikes 'increasingly untenable'
Cristina Marcos of The Hill reports on airstrikes in Syria:
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said that the Obama administration's justification for this week's air strikes on Syria by using the post-9/11 military authorization is "increasingly untenable."
Schiff, who introduced an 18-month authorization of military force (AUMF) against extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL), said that the U.S. should not be relying on a previous vote from over a decade ago.
"The rationale given by the administration, that its actions against ISIL can be justified by an authorization passed by Congress in the days after 9/11, is increasingly untenable, and Congress must not abdicate its responsibility," Schiff said in a statement.
Schiff argued that Congress should not have recessed last week until Nov. 12 without voting on a new military authorization specifically against ISIS. The authorization to arm Syrian rebels was ultimately cleared as part of a stopgap bill to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1.
"Congress should never have recessed with a war underway – we should take up this issue the moment we return to session," Schiff said.
The California Democrat, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said that Middle East countries' involvement in this week's strikes helps the U.S. mission in the long run.
"The participation of Arab forces is especially important, not only to put an Arab face on the American led coalition, but also to cement their involvement in the long-term effort required to defeat ISIL," Schiff said.
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By: Cristina Marcos
Source: The Hill