U.S. Rep. Jim Mcgovern Leads Bipartisan Letter to House Leadership on the Need for an Authorization on Iraq

Washington, DC, September 19, 2014
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), along with his Rules Committee colleague U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) have coordinated a bipartisan letter calling on the House Leadership urging them to bring an authorization for the use of military force in Iraq when Congress returns to Washington in November.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), along with his Rules Committee colleague U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) have coordinated a bipartisan letter calling on the House Leadership urging them to bring an authorization for the use of military force in Iraq to the floor when Congress returns to Washington in November.  The letter’s signatories represent a broad range of opinion on the use of force in Iraq, but the Members are united in their belief that Congress should uphold its Constitutional and institutional responsibilities to act on matters of war and peace.

“We believe the terms of the July 25th concurrent resolution approved by the House have been met and that U.S. Armed Forces are engaged in sustained combat operations in Iraq, and there is an increasing bipartisan recognition that the time has come to take up and debate an authorization regarding U.S. military operations in Iraq,” the letter to Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says.

The other members who signed the letter are:  U.S. Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), U.S. Rep. Richard Nugent (R-FL), U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and U.S. Rep. John Duncan (R-TN).