In a 295-123 vote, the House rejected a resolution Friday that would have given President Obama the authority to employ U.S. forces in Libya for one year.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that rejecting this resolution would send a signal to the world “that America does not keep faith with its allies.”
“We can’t do it all,” Hoyer said on the House floor. “But, that does not mean we can not support those who choose and take the responsibility of leading, NATO has done that.”
In a largely bipartisan vote, 70 Democrats joined 225 Republicans in opposing the resolution. While only eight GOP’ers agreed to give Obama the authority to support the NATO mission in Libya for the next year.
If approved, the measure would have also ensured that no U.S. ground forces enter Libya, and would have required Obama to provide Congress with frequent updates with details on the mission and its progress.
Immediately following its vote denying authorization of continued engagement in Libya, the House quickly debated and voted, 238-180, to reject a second measure that would have restricted funding for U.S. involvement in the NATO-led mission.
“It is surreal that we could even be considering authorizing this war at a time when the government is collapsing in debt,” Rep. Dennis Kucinich (R-Ohio) argued on the House floor.
Kucinich was joined by his fellow Ohioan and House Speaker John Boehner, who voted in favor of the bill which would have effectively put an end to U.S. offensive strikes in Libya. Boehner said that the bill represented a “reasonable approach” and that “it would not undermine our NATO partners.”
The House Speaker blasted Obama, saying Friday’s vote was a direct result of the president’s failure to fulfill his obligation to the War Powers Act. The law requires the president to acquire Congress’ approval prior to utilizing the nation’s military in offensive action.
The White House countered this argument by saying Obama didn’t need congressional authorization because U.S. forces are not engaging in “hostilities” but rather playing a support role in NATO-led mission.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that he “was disappointed in [the House’s] vote” denying authorization and that “now was not the time to send a mixed message.”