Virginia Democrat: War vote will wait until next year

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) says it does not look as though the full Senate will not vote on a measure authorizing the use of military force against Islamic militants before lawmakers adjourn this week.

“It looks very unlikely that there will be an opportunity to get a floor vote,” Kaine told The Hill.

The Virginia lawmaker has been highly critical of his colleagues for not voting on an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) as the Obama administration leads a international campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week approved a resolution giving President Obama authority to target the terror organization and allied groups.

The three-year AUMF would ban ground troops except in special circumstances and require the administration to report back to lawmakers every 60 days.

The measure was approved in a 10-8 party line vote. Kaine voted in favor of it.

Over the weekend, panel chairman Robert Menendez (D-.N.J.) filed the authorization as an amendment to the $1.1 trillion government-funding package, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) used procedural rules to bar amendments to the bill, which was approved Saturday.

Kaine said that he thought the Foreign Relations resolution would be a starting point for debate in the next Congress.

“I think it’s going to gain very wide support,” Kaine told The Hill, adding that he and his fellow lawmakers are “already talking about that.”

However. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the panel’s incoming chairman, voted against the resolution and has suggested the authorization would not serve as a guide in the next Congress.

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