Obama Rejects Need for Congress Support on Libya Conflict

US President Barack Obama has rejected the need for approval by the US Congress to continue with military campaign is Libya.

The House of Representatives voted on Monday to forbid the use of US funds in the current conflict in the North African State. The amendment was bought before the House on the basis of the War Powers Act. It was passed with a vote of 248 to 163.

The War Powers Act was a Resolution introduced in 1973 to limit the power of the president to send troops abroad with consensus from Congress. Under the rules of the act, US forces must be withdrawn within 60 days if both Congress and the Senate oppose military action.

However, President Obama has deemed that congressional support is not required due for US action in Libya due to the limited nature of the war and of US involvement. A statement from the White House revealed that with regard to Libya, the president does not “require further congressional authorisation, because US military operations are distinct from the kind of ‘hostilities’ contemplated by the Resolution’s 60 day termination provision”.

The statement went on to explain why the US’ involvement does not come under the act. It said:

“US operations do not involve sustained fighting or active exchanges of fire with hostile forces, nor do they involve the presence of US ground troops, US casualties or a serious threat thereof, or any significant chance of escalation into a conflict characterised by those factors.”

Commentators noted at the time of the vote that although the amendment was unlikely to be passed into law, it served to highlight a growing rift between the president and congress, and even within the democrat party. This is largely because it was a democrat, Brad Sherman, who introduced the amendment. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane noted that: “It doesn't mean US planes are necessarily going to stop flying, but it does mean that the president has to get back to Washington and try to convince the Senate not to go along with House of Representative.” The overwhelming weight with which the House voted against the president will have raised concerns that Mr Obama has a lot of work to do to convince the American of the necessity of this conflict.

The Republican party appear equally divided on the issue. The Republican speaker of the House, John Boehner, alluded to fears the US Congress has over the vague aims of the war in Libya. In a letter to President Obama, he stated: “The House, and the American people whom we represent, deserve to know the determination you have made.”

Yet other Republicans have indicated their trepidation with being associated with an anti-war movement. Referring to democrat Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat senator who had demanded an end to the war, Republican and House majority leader Eric Cantor stated: “I mean, here's a guy who's anti-war, anti-military, and we're going to support him?”

Meanwhile, NATO airstrikes with US involvement have continued on Tripoli, indicating that any US withdrawal is unlikely and certainly not imminent.

By Joseph Walsh

[Image courtesy of TalkMediaNews]