WASHINGTON,D.C—Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with CPC Peace and Security Task Force Chair Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), introduced a concurrent resolution urging Congress to debate and vote for any sustained United States combat role in Iraq or Syria.
The text of the resolution is below. A PDF is available here.
H. CON. RES. 114
Urging Congress to debate and vote on a statutory authorization for any sustained United States combat role in Iraq or Syria.
Whereas Congress has a constitutional duty, enshrined in article I, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution, to debate and examine the significant consequences of another multi-year United States military intervention in the Middle East;
Whereas the War Powers Resolution provides that 60 days after the President informs Congress that he has introduced Armed Forces into an overseas theater, the President `shall terminate any use of United States Armed Forces' unless Congress has authorized such use of the Armed Forces;
Whereas the United States military has engaged in over 100 airstrikes in Iraq since August 8, 2014;
Whereas currently there are over 1,000 United States military personnel deployed in Iraq;
Whereas the United States military has flown surveillance sorties over Syria to collect information on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS);
Whereas the Obama administration has stated that the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) is obsolete and has supported its repeal;
Whereas the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) should not apply to ISIS because ISIS has no operational connection to al Qaeda or the Taliban and is not currently considered an `associated force' of al Qaeda;
Whereas any new authorization for the use of military force should be narrowly tailored and limited;
Whereas ISIS is a violent extremist organization that has terrorized and committed unconscionable atrocities against religious and ethnic minority communities in the course of attempting to create a de-facto state within the borders of Iraq and Syria;
Whereas the threat posed by ISIS requires a robust response from a broad international coalition, with regional partners playing prominent and leading roles;
Whereas Congress should support a comprehensive strategy for defeating ISIS that cuts off access to ISIS supplies and financial resources and isolates extremist elements by addressing the legitimate political grievances and aspirations of local religious and ethnic communities in Iraq and Syria;
Whereas this issue should be immediately referred to and debated by the United Nations Security Council;
Whereas the House of Representatives passed House Concurrent Resolution 105 on July 25, 2014, by a vote of 370-40; and
Whereas House Concurrent Resolution 105 expressed the sense of Congress that the President shall not deploy or maintain United States Armed Forces in a sustained combat role in Iraq without statutory authorization: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--
(1) should debate and vote on a statutory authorization for any sustained United States combat role in Iraq or Syria
(2) does not support the deployment of ground combat troops in Iraq or Syria;
(3) should ensure that any such statutory authorization is narrowly tailored and limited; and
(4) should ensure that any statutory authorization includes robust reporting requirements.
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