WASHINGTON (AP) – The top House Democrat said Thursday that talks with the Obama administration about a new authorization of military action against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria are focusing on a time frame of three years but there isn’t any agreement yet on what geographic areas would be covered and what kinds of force could be used.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters that it will be a challenge for war-wary Democrats, the White House, and Republicans seeking a broader use of military force to forge an agreement, but that she ultimately expected one to be reached.
“I’m not saying anybody’s come to an agreement on it,” Pelosi said. “I think it’s going to be a challenge, but we will have it.”
GOP House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio said he expected Obama to send lawmakers a request for an authorization of military action in a few days and said it’ll be up to the president to build support for it among lawmakers and the public.
“His actions are going to be an important part of trying for us to get the votes to actually pass an authorization,” Boehner said. “This is not going to be an easy lift.”
For her part, Pelosi also said she hoped Congress would repeal the 2002 congressional authorization for the war in Iraq but retain the 2001 authorization for military action in Afghanistan.
The negotiations come as the world is recoiling in horror after Islamic militants released a grisly video of the murder of a Jordanian Air Force pilot by burning him alive. Pelosi also said that the U.S. should “move quickly” to steer military aid to Jordan, which has begun a stepped-up campaign against the militants, including a series of air strikes in Syria.
Republicans generally want a broader authorization of military action against the militants, who have overrun wide swaths of Iraq and Syria, than Democrats have been willing to consider. President Barack Obama has said he does not want U.S. “boots on the ground” in combat roles, while many Republicans believe that option ought to be available to the military.
Separately, Pelosi said it’s still her intention to attend an address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint meeting of Congress next month. The address is controversial because House Speaker John Boehner extended it without consulting the White House.
Netanyahu is a critic of administration negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and Democrats fear the Israeli leader will use the opportunity to embarrass Obama and further his own campaign for re-election.
“It is really sad that it has come to this,” Pelosi said, although moments later she added that “as of now, it is my intention to go.”