Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, declared that the United States’ commencement of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria showed that the United States was at war “without a doubt” and that there was “no question” Congress should vote an authorization for military force on Tuesday during MSNBC’s live coverage of the airstrikes.
When asked whether Congress would reconvene to vote on an authorization for continued strikes against ISIS, he responded “I think the pressure is building to do that. I’ve been working specifically with Minority Whip Steny Hoyer about ways to pull together a working group. Congress should speak on this issue. This is, without question, war. This is something that Congress should authorize.”
Smith added that while prior failures to build an Iraqi security forced were a “good cause for skepticism,” “you can make a strong argument that there’s really nothing much we can do [given the danger posed by ISIS],” and suggested that the ISIS threat could be a “changing factor.”
He further praised the efforts undertaken by the United States to build a coalition against ISIS, saying “I think the biggest thing about this is the coalition that has been brought together to have Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and Jordan, Qatar, and [the] UAE as part of this I think is absolutely critical.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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