Libya War Powers Resolution

Floor Speech

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 292, offered by Representative Boehner and H. Con. Res. 51, offered by Representative Kucinich.

I strongly oppose putting any U.S. forces on the ground in Libya and voted in support of the amendment offered to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act by Representative Conyers which prohibited funds from being used for that purpose.

These resolutions are both flawed. I cannot support either of them because they ignore the reasons the U.S. joined NATO operations in Libya and the president's efforts to keep Congress informed, and each fails to recognize the support role American forces now play since we transferred leadership of the mission to NATO.

I disagree with the Boehner Resolution's accusation that the president has failed to provide Congress with a compelling rationale for U.S. military activities in Libya.

On March 21, 2011, President Obama wrote to Congress notifying us of his decision to deploy U.S. forces against the Qaddafi Regime in response to a request from the Arab League. In his letter, President Obama stated that his actions were undertaken to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to address a growing threat to international peace and security.

Further, the president fulfilled his pledge to greatly redefine the role of American forces and they now play a non-combat, supporting role comprised of intelligence gathering, logistics, surveillance and search and rescue.

Finally, I oppose the Kucinich resolution's call for an immediate withdrawal of forces from Libya. In his speech last month on North Africa, the president said the U.S. joined the NATO operation in Libya because ``we saw the prospect of imminent massacre and we heard the Libyan people's call for help.''

Not acting in the face of Qaddafi's threat to show ``no mercy'' to his people and to go door to door hunting them like rats would have been an abdication of our moral duty as global citizens and would have sent the wrong message to the tyrants of the world.

In his speech on Libya the president said, ``To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader--and more profoundly--our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are. Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different.''

Given the conversion of special factors in Libya, I believe the president's decision has been justified.

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