35 Lawmakers Pen Bipartisan Letter Calling for ISIS AUMF

On Friday, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers sent Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) a letter calling for him to schedule a vote on a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against the Islamic State.

The lawmakers argue that recent actions in Iraq and Syria, including the deployment of special operations forces into live combat, "taken all together, [] represent a significant escalation in U.S. military operations in the region and place U.S. military personnel on the front lines of combat operations." Moreover, the 35 representatives, both Democrat and Republican, rejected what they called "the illusion of a consensus authorization." The letter comes one week after President Obama authorized the deployment of 50 special operations troops to Syria. Yet while the group called for the Speaker to push forward an AUMF for a vote, they concede that Democrats and Republicans "do not share the same policy prescriptions for U.S. military engagement in the region." Those differences are likely to stall any serious effort to craft a new AUMF.

A Ryan spokeswomen told the Hill that "members need to be briefed on the specifics of the new actions taken by the administration before making any further decisions."

You can read the full letter here: