Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was notified prior to the Syrian missile strikes and says he is fully committed to working with the administration in the days ahead. (April 7) AP
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks at her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill on April 6, 2017.(Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein, Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders expressed support on Friday for President Trump’s decision to launch airstrikes against Syria, but many also called on the president to outline a more cohesive strategy to address that conflict and warned the White House against taking broader military action without congressional approval.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the House should immediately reconvene so that members could debate use of military force against Syria. The House recessed for its two-week Easter recess on Thursday.
"The president’s action and any response demands that we immediately do our duty," the California Democrat wrote in a letter Friday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "Congress must live up to its constitutional responsibility to debate an Authorization of the Use of Military Force against a sovereign nation."
Pelosi's request came after President Trump ordered an attack using cruise missiles against a military base in Syria — a response to the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons on its own civilians.
"Earlier this week the Assad regime murdered dozens of innocent men, women, and children in a barbaric chemical weapons attack," Ryan said in a statement Friday, calling Trump's action "appropriate and just."
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Ryan did not address Pelosi's request for a debate to authorize the use of U.S. military force, but he signaled he wanted further consultation from the White House.
"Resolving the years-long crisis in Syria is a complex task," Ryan said. "I look forward to the administration further engaging Congress in this effort."
In the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the White House had notified him of the impending strike.
"This action was taken to deter the Assad regime from using chemical weapons again. I support both the action and objective," McConnell said. “In the days ahead, I am committed to working with the administration to continue developing a counter-ISIL strategy that hastens the defeat of ISIL and establishes objectives for dealing with the Assad regime in a manner that preserves the institutions of government in an effort to prevent a failed state.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to his office on Capitol Hill on April 6, 2017. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)
McConnell said all senators would meet later today for a briefing on Syria.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he applauded Trump for taking "decisive action" in the wake of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons against civilians.
"As we move forward, it will be important for the administration to engage with Congress and clearly communicate its full strategy to the American people," Corker said.
In 2013, President Obama argued in favor of military force against Syria following a chemical weapons attack, but he sought congressional approval before ordering a strike. A resolution approving intervention ultimately never came up for a floor vote because the Syrian government accepted a deal negotiated by the U.S. and Russia to turn over its chemical weapons stockpiles.
But it’s unclear whether the resolution would have been approved by Congress. Though the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a measure with a bipartisan vote, vote counts at the time showed many senators were undecided. In the House, Republicans were undecided or leaning against intervention because they said it didn’t pose a threat to the United States. Democrats were also divided.
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U.S. launches a missile attack on Syria
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The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) fires a tomahawk land attack missile from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles in fiery retaliation for this week's chemical weapons attack against civilians. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ford Williams, U.S. Navy via AP
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) fires a tomahawk land attack missile from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles in fiery retaliation for this week's chemical weapons attack against civilians. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ford Williams, U.S. Navy via AP
The USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles in fiery retaliation for this week's chemical weapons attack against civilians. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robert S. Price, U.S. Navy via AP
USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile towards Syria. The USS Ross is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. MC3 (SW) Robert S. Price, U.S. Navy
USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile towards Syria. MC3 (SW) Robert S. Price, U.S. Navy
President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Syria from the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump ordered a massive military strike against a Syria in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack blamed on President Bashar al-Assad. An U.S. official said 59 precision guided missiles hit Shayrat Airfield in Syria, where Washington believes the April 4, 2017, deadly attack was launched. Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Syria from the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Fla. Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Syria from the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Fla. Alex Brandon, AP
Ivanka Trump, the daughter and assistant to President Donald Trump, third from left, stands next to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Alex Brandon, AP
Satellite images of the Shayrat Airfield in Shayrat Airfield is pictured in Homs region of Syria. President Trump ordered a cruise missile strike against Syria in retaliation for the chemical weapons attack that killed 86 people. The Sharyrat Airfield is the suspected target of the cruise missiles. Pentagon
Satellite images show the location of the alleged chemical weapons attack in Khan Shaykhun, Syria. President Trump ordered the strike against Syria early Friday local time in retaliation for the chemical weapons attack that killed 86 people. Pentagon, Pentagon