White House will send Congress legislation to fight ISIS this week
The administration is nearly ready to send Congress legislation that would formally authorize war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), administration sources tell CBS News.
The sources say the deliberations continue with congressional leaders and lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees but the text for the authorization for the use of military force is nearly complete and will be given to Congress for consideration by week's end.
The State Department, Defense Department, National Security Council and the White House Office of Legal Counsel have all participated in the drafting of the document, which outlines the military goals and strategy against ISIS in Iraq and Syria and would seek formal, legal authorization for the mission and other counter-terrorism operations related to the effort.
This would be the first move by Congress and the White House to give legal backing to the military effort to degrade and destroy ISIS and represent the first update to US military strategy in a post-9/11 world since the authorization to use military force in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.
While the White House has said the 2002 authorization for military action in Iraq also covers parts of the ISIS campaign, Congress and President Obama agree a new legal framework and strategy are required now. There is no fixed date for Congress to receive the White House authorization to use military force, but sources said it will be delivered this week in letter form to congressional leaders and all relevant congressional committees.