White House Demands Congress Vote to Approve ISIS War

Insists Signing Off on Plan 'Bare Minimum' for Congress to Do

White House officials today angrily condemned Congress for ongoing talk about the authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS, saying they should simply sign off on what President Obama wants.

“Their job requires basically only fulfilling the bare minimum,” insisted press secretary Josh Earnest, adding that passing the AUMF exactly as Obama worded it would show unity among US officials on the war.

When the White House introduced their AUMF it was widely expected Congress would pass whatever was put in front of it. Administration bragging about the language being deliberately vague to allow them to do whatever they want fueled some opposition, however, and the bill basically died in committee.

Since the administration has been carrying out the war illegally for nearly a year at any rate, there is a growing sense among Congress that the White House is going to do whatever it wants with or without the vote, with Sen. Bob Corker (R – TN) insisting the vote was little more than an intellectual exercise.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.