Hill leaders: Obama to seek renewed war authority

WASHINGTON — Top congressional leaders said the White House is drafting new authorization language to redefine the U.S. mission in the war on terror that will address the rise of the Islamic State.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters following a Tuesday morning meeting at the White House that President Obama “indicated that he is working towards sending us an authorization for the use of military force.”

McConnell said that a new authorization is a potential area for bipartisan agreement between the White House and a GOP-controlled Congress.

“I think a good starting place is for him to tell us what he wants and to provide the initial document off of which we will work,” he said, adding that he was hoping to see language “some time in the near future.”

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he encouraged the White House to send up new language, and that historically the president has identified the need for military force and drafted the appropriate text. “The speaker said that if the president takes these steps, Republicans will work with him to build bipartisan support for its enactment,” his office said in a statement.

The Obama administration has relied on congressional authorizations approved during the Bush administration following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to justify the use of military force abroad.

The rise of the Islamic State has prompted lawmakers across the political spectrum to call for a new authorization to more clearly define and update the mission.

White House spokesman Shawn Turner said bipartisan leaders in Congress expressed interest in a new authorization “that provides a clear signal of support for our ongoing military operations” against the Islamic State.

“At the request of bipartisan members present at today’s meeting, the White House will continue to work with the congressional leaders on the details of that language, and we look forward to sharing a draft with Congress that reflects their bipartisan input,” he said.

Obama will deliver his State of the Union address on Jan. 20, where he is likely to address the changing nature of the war on terror.

Contributing: Gregory Korte