In a bipartisan letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and 34 of her colleagues demanded a debate and vote on the use of U.S. military forces in Syria.
"What started out as non-lethal aid escalated into airstrikes and now we have boots on the ground in Syria. We should have had a debate and vote on military involvement long ago. I don’t think we should get involved in another war in the Middle East but that's exactly the direction we could be headed in if we don't have an open and public debate," Pingree said.
In their letter, the 35 House members asked Speaker Ryan to schedule and debate an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Syria as quickly as possible. The Obama Administration has argued that a 2001 AUMF authorizing military action in the war against terror is sufficient, but Pingree and others have argued it doesn't cover escalating military involvement in Syria.
In their letter, the 35 lawmakers wrote:
"We do not share the same policy prescriptions for U.S. military engagement in the region, but we do share the belief that it is past time for the Congress to fulfill its obligations under the Constitution and vote on an AUMF that clearly delineates the authority and limits, if any, on U.S. military engagement in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region.
"Congress can no longer ask our brave service men and women to continue to serve in harm’s way while we fail in carrying out our constitutional responsibility in the area of war and peace. As long as the House fails to assert its constitutional prerogatives and authority, the Administration may continue to expand the mission and level of engagement of U.S. Armed Forces throughout the region. We strongly urge you, Mr. Speaker, to bring an AUMF to the floor of the House as quickly as possible."
Full text of the letter is attached.
The letter was also signed by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Justin Amash (R-MI), Michael Burgess (R-TX), David Cicilline (D-RI), John Conyers (D-MI), Joe Crowley (D-NY), John Abney Culberson (R-TX), Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), John Garamendi (D-CA), Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ), Janice Hahn (D-CA), Richard L. Hanna (R-NY), Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Daniel Kildee (D-MI), Raúl R. Labrador (R-ID), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Bill Posey (R-FL), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Mark Sanford (R-SC), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Ted S. Yoho (R-FL), and Ryan K. Zinke (R-MT).
