WASHINGTON –The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted Tuesday to continue keeping the U.S. military off the ground in Libya and to limit the operation to one year unless NATO ends operations sooner. The plan also makes Libyans and Arab League nations responsible for post-war reconstruction and peacekeeping.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz, and committee chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., introduced the resolution as a way to support President Barack Obama while also placing limits on the mission in Libya. The measure now moves to the Senate floor.
A major point of contention during the meeting was the president’s definition of operations in Libya not being hostile and therefore not subject to the War Powers Act, which says the president may not deploy military forces unless he has authorization from Congress or in case of “a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”
“What we’re doing is setting a dangerous precedent for all presidents regardless of which side of the aisle they’re on,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.
“Allowing this assertion to stand unchallenged would increase the risk that presidents will conduct similar military interventions in the future without seeking or receiving Congressional authorization,” said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
The resolution says U.S. troops will stay off the ground in Libya and will not be deployed for peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s frozen assets would be used for humanitarian aid and to reimburse NATO and the U.S.
State Department legal adviser Harold Koh told committee members that the unique situation in Libya meant operations there did not fall under the 1973 War Powers Act and that Obama was acting lawfully.
The Senate is in recess next week. No action is likely to come on the resolution until the week of July 11.