Following the airstrikes in Syria, Sen. James Risch said Friday his preference would be for Congress to agree to a new authorization of military force, but said his experience has taught him that striking a deal is easier said than done and in this instance would have delayed military action for months.
“I would rather have an AMUF by Congress,” Mr. Risch, Idaho Republican, said on CNN. “But I guarantee you if yesterday morning when President Trump made up his mind he was going to this [and] he came to Congress and said, this is what I’d like to do, I want to take out one air field and this is how I am going to go about it, we would still be talking about it at Christmas time.”
Mr. Risch said he has taken part in groups on Capitol Hill that tried to hash out new agreements so presidents stop relying on authorizations passed in the 2001 and 2002.
“You can get a battalion of lawyers on each side of this issue as to whether [the president] needs to do that or not and they will take you so deep in the weeds that you will never find your way out,” he said.
Mr. Risch said “right or wrong,” former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have relied on the War Powers Act to carry out military action.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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