Senate seeks to unblock path for war on Islamic State
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will address the week of March 9.
WASHINGTON — The new Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman faces one of his greatest challenges yet next week as he tries to build support for a White House war authorization that no one seems to like.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has organized a star-studded hearing for March 11 on the "military and diplomatic efforts" to defeat the Islamic State. Slated to testify: Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey.
Members of both parties have objected to President Barack Obama's reliance on Authorizations for Use of Military Force from 2001 and 2002 to wage the war against the Islamic State since this summer. But they can't agree on an alternative: Next week's hearing comes as Democrats on the panel have rejected language they fear could open the door to a large deployment of US troops to Iraq and Syria, while many Republicans instead worry that the president's proposal would hamstring US commanders on the ground.
Other than that it will be a light week on Capitol Hill, with the House out in one of the rare instances when the chambers' recesses don't coincide.
