Senators Intro Tougher, Bipartisan Libya Resolution

A bipartisan trio of senators introduced a joint resolution on Libya Wednesday that would require the Obama administration to seek congressional approval to continue military operations in the country.

The resolution, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., Bob Corker, R-Tenn. and Mike Lee, R-Utah., would also prohibit ground troops, including private security contractors and asks the administration to prepare an unclassified report for Congress and the public to evaluate U.S. involvement in Libya, including its cost and affect on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We owe it to every man and woman who puts on a uniform to serve our country and to every taxpayer who funds the operations to be clear that our entry into any conflict has been thoughtfully considered, contains clear justification, a clear mission and a clear debate of the risk and benefits," says Corker.

The senators say the president is in violation of the War Powers Resolution that Congress passed in 1973. It states that 60 days after military operations begin, the president must get congressional approval to continue them. More than 80 days have passed since military actions began in Libya on March 19.

"We're faced, in my view, with the prospect of a very troubling, if not downright odd, historical precedent that has the potential to haunt us for decades," Webb said on the floor of the Senate. "The issue for us to consider is whether a president, any president, can unilaterally begin and continue a military campaign for reasons that he alone has defined as meeting the demanding standards of a vital national interest worthy of risking American lives and expending billions of dollars of our taxpayers' money."

The White House says they have been in compliance with the War Powers Resolution. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. would not say when he would schedule a vote on this resolution, but Corker says he expects it to happen next week.