WASHINGTON: The White House pledged Wednesday to answer congressional critics angrily demanding details of US goals in the conflict with Libya, as well as the likely costs and duration of the campaign.
The House of Representatives on Friday passed a symbolic resolution chiding President Barack Obama for not seeking congressional approval for US involvement and gave him until June 17 to answer those questions and more.
“We will answer the questions in that resolution within the time-frame,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
But Carney declined to say whether the response would be in the form of the detailed report sought in the non-binding resolution, which was crafted by Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
“I don't have a format for you, but we will certainly endeavor to answer the questions,” said the spokesman.
Carney also sidestepped questions on whether the White House would ask for formal congressional authorization for the US military role in the UN-backed campaign now officially under control of Nato.
“We have been in extensive consultations with Congress about our mission in Libya, the goals of which, we believe, are widely shared by Republicans and Democrats and House members and senators,” he told reporters.
His comments came as Democratic Senator Jim Webb and Republican Senator Bob Corker, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a resolution akin to the House measure that challenged Obama's Libya policy.
Their bill calls for the Obama administration to offer a detailed justification for US operations and forbids any deployment of US ground troops in Libya, and demands a detailed report within 14 days on US goals and means to reach those objectives.
It also calls on Obama to request authorization for the continuation of US involvement in Nato activities and states that Congress should fully debate such a request expediently.
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