Congress tries to tackle Islamic State before midterm elections

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Sept. 8
Militant Islamist fighters parade on military vehicles along the streets of northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Militant Islamist fighters held a parade in Syria's northern Raqqa province to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq, a monitoring service said. The Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), posted pictures online on Sunday of people waving black flags from cars and
Militant Islamist fighters parade on military vehicles along the streets of northern Raqqa province, June 30, 2014. - REUTERS
JulianHeadshot.jpg
Julian Pecquet
@JPecquet_ALM

Congress has a packed schedule as it seeks to make its mark on the Obama administration’s strategy for dealing with the Islamic State (IS) before leaving town for the November midterm elections.

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have declared their intention to pass some sort of war authorization allowing President Barack Obama to continue bombing IS in Iraq or start doing so in Syria. Time is quickly running out, however, with the House set to head out in two weeks until Nov. 12, if it can get a short-term spending bill done by then.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more