Cost estimate for a non-war
Kai Ryssdal: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said today the White House has sent Congress all the justification for operations in Libya that it’s going to send. That isn’t sitting well with GOP members of the House.
But there is a certain element of ‘what’re you going to do about it anyway?’ to this most recent discussion of the War Powers Act.
Our Washington bureau chief John Dimsdale has the story.
John Dimsdale: Speaker of the House John Boehner rejects the White House argument that Libyan airstrikes aren’t covered by the War Powers Act. The 1973 law requires a president to get congressional permission for military actions after 60 days. Boehner is threatening to cut off funding for Libyan operations. But the president says he has no plans to ask for any more than the $1.1 billion he needs this year.
James Lindsay at the Council on Foreign Relations says without a budget request, Congress is left with few options.
James Lindsay: The only way Congress can stop the president is by passing a law demanding that he halt. In which case, the president can veto the bill and Congress faces the very substantial challenge of trying to overturn a presidential veto.
Ten House members have taken the other route available to them. They’ve filed a lawsuit arguing the president circumvented Congress by not asking for War Powers Act permission in Libya. But by the time that case reaches the Supreme Court, Libya’s civil war will likely be long over.
In Washington, I’m John Dimsdale for Marketplace.
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