Limiting Use of Funds for Armed Forces in Libya

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this bill purports to cut off funding for combat in Libya. In doing so, it simply forbids what the Constitution already forbids--the waging of war without explicit congressional authorization. But then it specifically grants to the President what up until now he has completely lacked: congressional authority to engage in every conceivable belligerent act short of actually pulling the trigger.

Refueling bombers on their way to targets, identifying and selecting targets, guiding munitions to their targets, logistical support, operational planning--these are all acts of war in direct support of belligerents at war, and this bill authorizes them.

The House has just considered whether to authorize war with Libya. It has specifically, categorically, and decisively rejected it. The President is now on notice that he is in direct defiance of Congress. That is the message we need to send today. Let's not enter a war through the back door, when we have already decided not to enter it through the front.

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend from Texas, Judge Gohmert.

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, it is true, Qadhafi is a bad guy. He needs to go. But the problem is for those who say will this mean the end of the Bush doctrine, well, I don't know that this President has really been enforcing the Bush doctrine. But the problem is, as my friend Mr. Burton pointed out, we don't know who is going to replace Qadhafi.

It is not in our national interest to help what may be another Iran, with Khomeini and Ahmadinejad coming to power, and especially when we are releasing oil at a time when that oil should be saved in case it all goes to blazes in the Middle East and we don't have any coming from there.

Now, I am not crazy about the exceptions either--the search and rescue, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, aerial refueling and operational planning--because this administration is probably going to describe everything they do as falling into those exceptions. But it is a step in the right direction. And some have said, and I know their hearts and I know they mean well, we want to support our troops, and I don't like it when people say let's back out and let's cut funding when troops are in harm's way.

I have talked to enough troops who want somebody in Washington to say, this is insane, don't get us involved, because they are good soldiers; and when they get their orders, they are going to salute and they are going to go follow through on the orders.

We are the body that must step forward and say, Enough. Mr. President, we are not responsible to the Arab League, to NATO or to the U.N. We are responsible to the American people.

So though I don't like the exceptions, I will vote for this. It is taking a step in the right direction.

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