Sen. Menendez: It would be nice if you told us what you want in an AUMF

http://ift.tt/1vR9Rt6

Quote:

Senators from both parties pressed Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday on the White House's reticence to put forth a proposal for the fight against the Islamic State. And while Kerry defended the administration's refusal to outline the confines of the conflict, he also took issue with the boundaries imposed by congressional proposals. If you didn't want Congress micromanaging the war, the senators responded, you should have told us what you wanted in the first place. Kerry testified at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—which he used to chair—telling members that an Authorization for Use of Military Force should include no restrictions against the use of ground troops and should not limit operations to Iraq and Syria, as the plan proposed by committee Chairman Robert Menendez does. Though the White House does not intend to violate either of those confines, the restrictions would "preemptively bind the hands of the commander in chief" if unforeseen circumstances arose, Kerry said. "Had the administration sent us an AUMF, maybe we would have been better versed as to what the administration seeks or does not seek," Menendez responded.[...] But the meeting did serve to highlight the fault lines for the AUMF debate that will surely come before the next Congress. Some, like Sens. Rand Paul and Tim Kaine, think the White House currently lacks the authority to act without congressional approval—making the lame-duck push an imperative. Menendez added his voice to their number Tuesday. "I am not comfortable with the administration's reliance" on previous AUMFs, he said. "I do not believe that it provides the authority to pursue a new enemy in a different country under different circumstances." Kerry replied that the administration has legal standing and the backing of constitutional scholars, but would prefer to see Congress act to reinforce and update its authority. Some on the panel, including Rubio and Boxer, agreed. Another split is over the outline of the bill itself. Some Republicans, including Rubio and Sen. John Barrasso, sided with Kerry in arguing that geographical and strategic restrictions are ill-advised for a fast-changing conflict.

Sen. Menendez: It would be nice if you told us what you want in an AUMF