Panel to vote on ISIS authorization next week

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hammer out a measure authorizing the use of military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) next week, the panel decided on Thursday.

{mosads}Under a compromise worked out between the panel’s leaders, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the committee will hold a hearing next Monday featuring Secretary of State John Kerry or “whatever appropriate administration officials” lawmakers can get to start the process.

Menendez said that session would be followed a closed-door briefing on Tuesday. A full committee markup on an authorization on the use of military force (AUMF) would be held Wednesday.

He said that while the “normal course of events” would be to have the Obama administration send a proposal to lawmakers, the White House has yet to do so, adding that such inaction essentially amounts to a veto of any congressional actions.

Menendez urged administration aides who attended Thursday’s committee business meeting “to do whatever it takes to get witnesses here on Monday” and send whatever AUMF language the White House has on hand to lawmakers over the weekend.

The compromise is not sittting well with some panel members.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) labeled Monday’s hearing a “red herring” and predicted that any markup would be rife with partisanship.

Corker agreed, suggesting Democrats would seek a measure that prohibits troops on the ground. Menendez retorted that the GOP should expect opposition to authorization that appears “open-ended.”

Asked if there would be enough time for the full Senate to vote on an AUMF, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) replied: “I do what I have control over. I have control over forcing a vote in the committee; I can’t force a vote on the floor. “

He added that “hopefully people are somewhat shamed, as well as the president, should be shamed into doing the right thing.”

Menendez said he was “doubtful” any eventual measure would get a full Senate vote.

He said he would urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to do so, but “whether he can get concurrence” from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is “another question.”

The timeline was worked out during an often heated meeting in which Paul planned to offer his proposal to formally declare war against the terror group as an amendment to a water bill. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), another panel member who has been critical of his colleagues for not voting on an AUMF and has proposed an authorization of his own, was ready to second Paul’s amendment.

Paul’s measure would have given President Obama authority to go after ISIS but limited his power in terms of deploying ground troops. His amendment said ground forces could only be used to save service members, carry out operations against high-value targets or assist with “advisory and intelligence gathering operations.”

Republicans on the committee ripped Paul and Kaine’s approach.

Corker said ramming the measure through on the water legislation was “almost a scene in Mayberry” and repeated his arguments that the administration was not prepared to submit an authorization.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said an AUMF deserves “thoughtful debate. This is not it.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said an authorization should come from the administration, rather than lawmakers “inventing it,” a subtle dig at Paul, who has clashed with the senior lawmaker on foreign policy and national security issues.

Paul said that the administration “might never be ready” to submit an AUMF but “that’s not an excuse for not voting.”

“Debate and talks are good, but votes are what count around here,” Paul added before agreeing to table his proposal.

After the meeting, Paul said he was unsure whether he had the votes to pass his declaration of war out of committee but predicted some authorization “would happen.”

“I’m satisfied that we’re going to get a vote. That’s all I wanted,” he told reporters. “I can’t ever guarantee victory, but I can guarantee we do our duty and our duty is to debate war and to vote on it.”

Meantime, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday repeated his calls for the president to send an AUMF to the next Congress, when the Senate will also be under GOP control.

“The [current] strategy isn’t reversing the terrorists’ momentum on the ground. I’ve got great concerns the plan he’s put in place will not accomplish goal of defeating and destroying [ISIS],” he said during a press conference. ” We need a more robust comprehensive strategy, and that should start with a new authorization for use of military force.”

He said that he reminded Obama last month that “historically the commander in chief has identified the need for the use of military force, written a new AUMF, sen[t] it to Capitol Hill and work[ed] to build bipartisan support for that measure.”

House Republicans “will be willing to work with him to get it approved,” according to Boehner. But “thus far we’ve seen no urgency on the part of this White House.”