Defense

Corker: ISIS war bill unlikely ‘any time soon’

by Jordain Carney - 11/10/15 6:52 PM ET

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday said he doesn’t expect Congress to approve legislation authorizing the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in the near future.

“I don’t think that’s an issue that’s going to be coming up any time soon. I just don’t,” he told reporters. “I certainly don’t think it’s an issue—any time soon—that’s going to reach enough consensus to actually pass.”

{mosads}Corker’s comments come after members of the Foreign Relations Committee, which the Tennessee Republican oversees, held a classified, closed-door briefing with the Obama administration on the recent decision to send up to 50 special operations forces to Syria.

The debate over passing an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS has divided Republicans and Democrats alike.

Corker has frequently said that he believes the administration currently has the legal authority it needs. He added Tuesday that there was “no indication” that the administration is “seeking additional authorities, so I doubt that it will come up.”

“Nothing changed my mind,” he told The Hill, when asked about the classified briefing. “I think it was consistent with all the other witnesses that have come forth. In no way did they indicate they were operating— that the things they desire to do in Syria need additional authorization.”

Democrats quickly pounced on Obama’s decision to send troops to Syria—the first time during the country’s civil war—as a signal that Congress must pass legislation authorizing the conflict. Lawmakers, however, quickly backpedaled and acknowledged that the president’s decision was unlikely to add measurable momentum behind an AUMF’s chances to pass Congress.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, added Tuesday that while it was important that lawmakers try to pass legislation, “I don’t disagree with the assessments that have been given, that we don’t see a path forward.”

“I think that realistically it would be difficult to get the necessary votes in the Senate and even if we did it’s unlikely that would be identical to what the House would want or what the president would accept,” he told The Hill.

Some Democrats, including Cardin, believe the 2001 AUMF—passed quickly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks—needs to be phased out.

Separately, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers sent a letter late last week to newly minted House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) urging him to schedule a vote on authorizing U.S. troops to fight ISIS militants.

Tags Ben Cardin Bob Corker Paul Ryan