Updated 6:12 p.m. | House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle sent a letter to President Barack Obama Wednesday asserting that striking Syria without prior Congressional authorization would be unconstitutional.
As we reported Tuesday, the letter penned by Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., pushes the president to "receive authorization from Congress before ordering the use of U.S. military force in Syria."
While the letter lacks signatures from top leaders — Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote his own letter to Obama Wednesday afternoon — it now has 98 Republican and 18 Democratic supporters.
The letter was sent to the president after 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Among the Republicans on the letter are Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas, House Republican Policy Committee Chairman James Lankford of Oklahoma and some close Boehner allies, including Tom Latham of Iowa, Mike Simpson of Idaho, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, and Tom Price of Georgia.
Democrats include Rep. Peter A. DeFazio of Oregon, the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.
Full text of the letter and names of signatories follows:
Dear Mr. President,
We strongly urge you to consult and receive authorization from Congress before ordering the use of U.S. military force in Syria. Your responsibility to do so is prescribed in the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
While the Founders wisely gave the Office of the President the authority to act in emergencies, they foresaw the need to ensure public debate — and the active engagement of Congress — prior to committing U.S. military assets. Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution.
Mr. President, in the case of military operations in Libya you stated that authorization from Congress was not required because our military was not engaged in “hostilities.” In addition, an April 1, 2011, memorandum to you from your Office of Legal Counsel concluded:
“…President Obama could rely on his constitutional power to safeguard the national interest by directing the anticipated military operations in Libya—which were limited in their nature, scope, and duration—without prior congressional authorization.”
We view the precedent this opinion sets, where “national interest” is enough to engage in hostilities without congressional authorization, as unconstitutional. If the use of 221 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 704 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 42 Predator Hellfire missiles expended in Libya does not constitute “hostilities,” what does?
If you deem that military action in Syria is necessary, Congress can reconvene at your request. We stand ready to come back into session, consider the facts before us, and share the burden of decisions made regarding U.S. involvement in the quickly escalating Syrian conflict.
Rep. Scott Rigell (VA-02) Republican Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) Republican Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05) Republican Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) Republican Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-04) Republican Rep. Tom Marino (PA-10) Republican Rep. Dan Benishek (MI-01) Republican Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-17) Republican Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) Republican Rep. Tim Griffin (AR-2) Republican Rep. Justin Amash (MI-03) Republican Rep. Raul Labrador (ID-01) Republican Rep. Joseph Pitts (PA-16) Republican Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-08) Republican Rep. John Campbell (CA-45) Republican Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-04) Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) Republican Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) Republican Rep. Charles Boustany (LA-03) Republican Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) Republican Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08) Republican Rep. Bill Posey (FL-8) Republican Rep. Randy Forbes (VA-04) Republican Rep. Phil Gingrey (GA-11) Republican Rep. David Roe (TN-01) Republican Rep. Mark Sanford (SC-01) Republican Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (TN-02) Republican Rep. Reid Ribble (WI-08) Republican Rep. James Lankford (OK-05) Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy (LA-06) Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher (TN-08) Republican Rep. Trey Radel (FL-19) Republican Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-02) Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03) Republican Rep. David McKinley (WV-01) Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis (Fl-12) Republican Rep. Joseph Heck (NV-03) Republican Rep. Dennis Ross (FL-15) Republican Rep. Billy Long (MO-07) Republican Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo (MS-04) Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder (KS-03) Republican Rep. Doug Collins(GA-09) Republican Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (PA-08) Republican Rep. Beto O’Rourke (TX-16) Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) Democrat Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR-5) Democrat Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) Democrat Rep. William Enyart (IL-12) Democrat Rep. Timothy Walz (MN-01) Democrat Rep. Christopher Gibson (NY-19) Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC-04) Republican Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10) Republican Rep. Michael Capuano (MA-07) Democrat Rep. Michael Simpson (ID-02) Republican Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10) Republican Rep. Thomas E. Petri (WI-06) Republican Rep. Robert Pittenger (NC-09) Republican Rep. Walter Jones (NC-03) Republican Rep. Tom Latham (IA-04) Republican Rep. Richard Nolan (MN-08) Democrat Rep. Jim McDermott (WA-07) Democrat Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (MI-11) Republican Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-06) Republican Rep. Sean Duffy (WI-07) Republican Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) Democrat Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) Republican Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-02) Republican Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25) Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02) Republican Rep. Sam Farr (CA-20) Democrat Rep. Steve Daines (MT) Republican Rep. Robert Hurt (VA-05) Republican Rep. Steve Southerland, II (FL-2) Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN-06) Republican Rep. Ralph Hall (TX-04) Republican Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) Republican Rep. Robert Wittman (VA-01) Republican Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18) Democrat Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-06) Republican Rep. Todd Rokita (IN-4) Republican Rep. David Loebsack (IA-02) Democrat Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-03) Republican Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) Republican Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) Democrat Rep. Sam Johnson (TX-03) Republican Rep. Tom Price (GA-06) Republican Rep. Mark Meadows (NC-11) Republican Rep. Paul Broun (GA-10) Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) Republican Rep. Steve Stockman (TX-36) Republican Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (WI-05) Republican Rep. Chris Collins (NY-27) Republican Rep. Diane Black (TN-06) Republican Rep. Daniel Webster (FL-10) Republican Rep. Peter Welch (VT) Democrat Rep. Lou Barletta (PA-11) Republican Rep. Tim Murphy (PA-18) Republican Rep. Gregg Harper (MS-03) Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04) Republican Rep. Ted S. Yoho (FL-03) Republican Rep. Bill Flores (TX-17) Republican Rep. Michael Burgess (TX-26) Republican Rep. Jim Matheson (UT-04) Democrat Rep. Cory Gardner (CO-04) Republican Rep. Alan Nunnelee (MS-01) Republican Rep. Jason Smith (MO-08) Republican Rep. Charles Fleischmann (TN-03) Republican Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07) Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN-07) Republican Rep. Collin Peterson (MN-7) Democrat