Obama to seek new authorization of force against Islamic State

President Obama said Wednesday he’ll seek a new authorization of force from Congress to battle the Islamic State terrorist group.

Until now, the air campaign against the Islamic State — also known as ISIS or ISIL — in Iraq and Syria had been based on authorizations passed in 2001 and 2002, but legal and constitutional specialists have said the administration was stretching the limits of those provisions.

Republican leaders have expressed openness to a vote on a new authorization bill but have not demanded one.

The president announced the plan during a press conference at the White House focused on the aftermath of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

“I’m going to begin engaging Congress over a new authorization to use military force against ISIL,” Mr. Obama said. “The world needs to know we are united behind this effort and the men and women of our military deserve our clear and unified support.”