Key Republican: Next Congress should vote on ISIS

The top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee said any vote on approving military force against Islamic militants should be put off until next year.

“I think the next Congress is the one that needs to debate that and vote on it,” retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) told reporters on Wednesday.

{mosads}A vote should be delayed because approving a new authorization of military force is “such a major decision” that will have “long-term” implications for the country, he said, noting that the existing authorizations have been on the books for over a decade.

His comments put him squarely on the side of Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and other top Republicans who want to wait until the new Congress is sworn in before holding a vote.

The White House argues it has the authority it needs to carry out the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but last week President Obama reversed course, saying he would welcome a more narrowly tailored military authorization against the terror group. 

Earlier Wednesday, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Congress should take up military authorization “right now in the lame-duck.”

Chambliss, who will leave office in January, said he assumes Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the next most senior lawmaker on the panel, will be the chairman next year when the GOP assumes the Senate majority.

The outgoing lawmaker also said he hopes his successor, David Perdue (R), would get a seat on either the Intelligence or the Armed Services panel, which Chambliss also sits on.