WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden on Friday showed support for replacing decades-long permits to use military force in the Middle East, just over a week after relying on permits to carry out a retaliatory air strike against the Iranian. supported militias in eastern Syria.
The Biden administration announced its position after a bipartisan bill was introduced earlier this week that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the wars in Iraq that the presidents of both have relied on. parties for legal justification to conduct strikes in the region.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden pledged to work with Congress to “ensure that the authorizations for the use of military force that currently appear in the books are replaced by a narrow framework. and specific that it will ensure that we can protect Americans from terrorist threats as we end the usual wars. “
Biden spurred the bipartisan backlash last week after ordering strikes against facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah. The strikes responded to a rocket attack in early February targeting U.S. troops and civilian personnel in northern Iraq without the need for congressional approval. The United States has blamed the militia for numerous attacks on U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq in the past.
Senator Tim Kaine, the main sponsor of the bill, said the reliance on decades-long permits to use military force “does not serve any operational purpose, keeps us at war and undermines the sovereignty of the state.” Iraq “.
“Last week’s airstrikes in Syria show that the Executive Branch, regardless of party, will continue to extend its powers of war,” said Kaine, a Virginia Democrat.
Administration officials defended the airstrikes as legal and appropriate, saying they withdrew facilities that housed valuable “capabilities” used by Iran-backed militia groups to attack U.S. and allied forces in Iran. Iraq.
But several important members of Congress, including members of Biden’s own party, denounced the strikes, the first military action he authorized. Kaine and others argued that offensive military actions without Congressional approval are unconstitutional in the absence of extraordinary circumstances.
The White House noted its support for replacing the permits, even as it warned that the U.S. could consider military action following a rocket attack earlier this week that attacked a U.S. air base. western Iraq where American and coalition troops are housed. A U.S. contractor was killed after at least ten rockets crashed into the base in the early hours of Wednesday.
“If we assess that one more answer is justified, we will act again in the way and at the time we choose,” Psaki said.