Congress to scrutinize Obama’s Islamic State strategy
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 9.
President Barack Obama’s plans for dealing with the Islamic State (IS) will come under renewed scrutiny this coming week as the White House prepares to release its request for war-fighting powers.
Lawmakers of both parties have said they expect the White House to unveil any day now its vision for an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would specify the limits of the US mission in Iraq, Syria and beyond. The debate has coincided with a flurry of reminders from countries such as Jordan and Libya that they’re on the frontlines, too.
Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 10 on “global challenges and US national security strategy” with former Undersecretaries of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman and Michele Flournoy. The committee will also vote Feb. 12 on legislation from Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., that would bar transfers of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison for two years.
The hearing follows Friday’s release by the White House of a congressionally mandated annual strategy document that spells out in broad strokes the administration’s vision for keeping the nation safe.
