Bellinger said that the administration has constitutional authority to conduct the strikes, but the legislative authority is shakier. He said Congress ought to revise the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (PL 107-40) because the threat has changed since it was enacted immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks. Others agreed that the 2001 measure needs to be clarified.
“It is not clear that Congress intended to sanction lethal force against a loosely defined enemy in a wide-ranging conflict with no discernible borders or ending,” said John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.
John Gramlich contributed to this report.
Attributes comments to Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that had been incorrectly attributed to House Judiciary Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte, R-Va.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
