The House voted this afternoon 295-123 against a measure that would have authorized the President’s military intervention in Libya. As Politico reports:
The House delivered a stinging rejection of President Barack Obama’s military intervention in Libya on Friday, voting in bipartisan fashion against authorizing the mission for another year.
This rebuke is no surprise. Not only had the White House failed to adequately consult Congress, but the President also undertook a doubtful and uncertain strategy committing the U.S. military to a mission not in America’s vital national interests.
A second vote which would essentially cut off funding for the Libya mission failed this afternoon 180-238.
Immediately removing funding would leave our NATO allies in a bind. As Heritage’s Jim Carafano explains:
As frustrating as Obama’s Libya policies are, however, Congress should not immediately terminate funding for the operation, which would force the U.S. to abandon its NATO allies in the middle of a war. Given the commitments already made by the President, Congress should support military operations until the end of the 90-day extension NATO authorized for “Operation Unified Protector” in Libya. Any funding of operations beyond that date should be prohibited unless supported by specific congressional approval. This is an appropriate constitutional action and a clear alternative to invoking the unconstitutional provisions of the War Powers Resolution.
By adopting this course, the U.S. fulfills its obligations to its NATO allies and extricates itself from a failed policy. Furthermore, this allows a sufficiently reasonable amount of time to transition the NATO effort from an inconclusive military operation that could well fail to a road map that offers the best prospects for the future of the Libyan people.
For more suggestions on what Congress and the President should do next, read the rest of our report on “The Way Forward in Libya” here.
why call it "abandon"? According to obama we're just there to be there. This isn't trustworthy when there is no reason! If the house votes against Libya Mission and keeps funding it, what good is the vote? What good is putting in our minds, your playing pigeon with our troops? Please…
How do you spell cowards? R-E-P-U-B-L-C-A-N-S. Sorry soldiers, I feel the federal government is actively putting you in harm's way to feed these defense contractors – with payout of up to $400 billion a year. We are now in 4 wars (3 of which have been deemed "endless") I am not sure where Yemen is right now. When we invade Iran and then have to fight Mexico, I wonder where we will get men and women to want to join? Will we then head for a draft? America is fighting nearly every war on this rock – why? We are going the same path as the Soviet Union – and who cares? Not DC! It would have been nice to see this dangerous president be defeated on such a simple argument. But unfortunately, there is too much profit in these ventures. Soldiers, may god be with you in these pointless battles.