[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 91 (Tuesday, June 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3937-S3938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1883. Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Flake) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to 
the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:


[[Page S3938]]


       At the end of subtitle B of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1230. USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE OF 
                   IRAQ AND THE LEVANT.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The United States has been engaged in military 
     operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant 
     (ISIL) since August 8, 2014.
       (2) Thousands of members of the United States Armed Forces 
     have been deployed to support military operations against 
     ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
       (3) The United States has conducted over 3,400 airstrikes 
     against ISIL as of June 2015.
       (4) The United States has spent more than $2,600,000,000 
     American taxpayer dollars on this war as of June 2015--a 
     number that continues to rise by approximately $9,000,000 per 
     day.
       (5) Tragically, members of the Armed Forces have been 
     killed in Operation Inherent Resolve, and United States 
     hostages have been killed by ISIL in barbaric ways.
       (6) The most solemn duty and responsibility Congress has is 
     the authority, under article 1, section 8 of the 
     Constitution, to ``declare war''.
       (7) While Congress has authorized appropriations for 
     Operation Inherent Resolve, and authorized the training of 
     anti-ISIL forces in Syria, Congress has taken no formal 
     action to approve Operation Inherent Resolve.
       (8) In testimony before the Committee on Foreign Relations 
     of the Senate, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
     Defense, and the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global 
     Coalition to Counter ISIL agreed that congressional 
     authorization of Operation Inherent Resolve is important for 
     reinforcing the leadership of the United States with our 
     coalition partners.
       (9) President Barack Obama submitted an authorization for 
     use of military force against ISIL in February 2015.
       (10) Congress has a duty to debate and determine whether or 
     not to authorize the use of military force against ISIL and 
     to engage in a debate about whether it is in the nation's 
     best interest to order United States troops to risk their 
     lives in this mission.
       (11) The American public deserves a congressional debate to 
     educate them about the national security interests at stake 
     and the advisability of this war.
       (12) Authorizing Operation Inherent Resolve would send a 
     strong message to our coalition partners and to our 
     adversaries that the United States is united in the fight 
     against ISIL and speaks with one voice in confronting ISIL.
                                 ______