Obama poised to ask Congress for new war authorization

House speaker says president will have to work hard to gain approval for expanded action against Islamic State

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is poised in coming days to ask Congress for new authority to use US military force against Islamic State militants, the White House said Thursday. But the top Republican in Congress warned it won’t be easy to pass the measure and that it will be up to Obama to rally support from lawmakers and the public.

“His actions are going to be an important part of trying for us to get the votes to actually pass an authorization,” Republican House Speaker John Boehner, said Thursday. “This is not going to be an easy lift.”

White House spokesman Josh Earnest responded that the administration is dedicated to getting a new authorization with support from Republicans and Democrats. That’s even though Obama has argued new authorization isn’t legally necessary and has been ordering airstrikes on militant strongholds in Iraq and Syria for months.

“The president believes it sends a very powerful signal to the American people, to our allies, and even to our enemies, that the United States of America is united behind this strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL,” Earnest said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group, “That across branches of government and even across political parties, even in this divided time in our nation’s political history, at least, that Democrats and Republicans are committed to this very important task.”

Earnest declined to discuss specific provisions being discussed, such as how long the authorization will last, what geographical areas it will cover and whether it will allow for the possibility of ground troops. He said details are still being worked out with lawmakers from both parties, with the hopes of coming up with the authorizations can draw bipartisan support.

But top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi said talks with the administration are focusing on a time frame of three years, while the other issues are still being worked out. Pelosi told journalists it will be a challenge for wary Democrats, the White House, and Republicans seeking a broader use of military force to forge an agreement, but that she ultimately expects one to be reached.

Obama has been relying on congressional authorizations that President George W. Bush used to justify military action after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Critics say the White House’s use of post-Sept. 11 congressional authorizations is a legal stretch, at best.

Pelosi said she hopes Congress will repeal the 2002 congressional authorization for the war in Iraq but retain the 2001 authorization for military action in Afghanistan. Earnest said the White House also supports repeal of the Iraq authorization replaced by the new authorization.

The developments come after Islamic militants released a grisly video of the murder of a Jordanian Air Force pilot by burning him alive. Pelosi also said that the US should “move quickly” to steer military aid to Jordan, which has begun a stepped-up campaign against the militants, including a series of air strikes in Syria.