Kaine presses Obama for ISIS strategy, vote

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Wednesday repeated his calls for President Obama to come to Congress with a strategy to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL), after the terrorist group's "barbaric" murder of American journalist Steven Sotloff.

"This tragedy reinforces what I have long said — that this Administration should come to Congress with clear objectives and scope of mission to combat the ISIL threat, and Congress should immediately debate an authorization to use military force," Kaine said in a statement.

"Now is the time for Congress to hear the Administration's rationale for military action against ISIL, and vote up or down on an authorization," the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee added.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been calling for the president to come to Congress in order to authorize current and future military action in Iraq — including the U.S. airstrikes that began on Aug. 8, while Congress was on recess.

Among the president's own party, Kaine has been most vocal in calling for a congressional vote, frustrating colleagues who fear such a move could harm them on Election Day.

Under the War Powers Resolution, the president can only commit U.S. troops into hostilities for 60 days without a declaration of war or congressional authorization, and the clock is ticking on those orders, which were issued in mid-June.

While some lawmakers believe the president does not need congressional authorization to use military force in Iraq and Syria, a number of lawmakers have called for action when lawmakers return from recess Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said he will introduce an amendment to the Senate's 2015 defense policy bill that would allow the president to strike ISIS in Syria, when Congress returns from recess next week.

“This will ensure there’s no question that the president has the legal authority he needs,” Nelson said in a statement.

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