White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the administration will send “specific language” of an Authorization for the Use of Military Force to Congress “relatively soon.” And Boehner told Capitol Hill reporters he’s “expecting … [an AUMF] sent up here in the coming days.”
The President is required by law to secure congressional approval for prolonged military operations, by passing an AUMF — war authority — on Capitol Hill.
“When it comes to fighting a war, Congress should not tie the President’s hands,” Boehner said. “And we’re going to go through a rigorous set of hearings, and continue to discuss this.”
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“It’s also going to be incumbent upon the President to make the case to the American people for why we have to fight this fight,” he said. “His actions are going to be an important part of trying … to get the votes to actually pass an authorization.”
He acknowledged: “This is not going to be an easy vote.”
CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Athena Jones contributed to this report.
