Pearce Votes to Remove Troops From Libya

Steve Pearce at a Recent Meeting with Veterans

Washington, DC (June 3, 2011) Congressman Steve Pearce today supported H.Con.Res 51, a resolution before the full House that would have directed “the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya.” The resolution received especially heavy support from those members of Congress who, like Pearce, have served in the armed forces. “Americans are doing enough to secure the world,” said Pearce. “Our taxpayers are spending enough and our soldiers and their families are sacrificing enough. We can’t fight all of the world’s battles. The Administration is putting American lives in danger without Congressional authorization. Gaddhafi remains alive, and the American people have been forced into a stalemate. The President has ignored even the most basic requests from Congress with regard to this engagement. Even his own secretary of defense has admitted that we have no pressing political or security interests in Libya.”

President Obama with Nobel Peace Prize

The President’s actions in continuing this war are not only reckless, but illegal and unconstitutional. The President has acted without regard to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, and has failed to meet its requirements, continuing to wage a dangerous and unnecessary war. This week, House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Bill Young contacted Rep. Pearce and explained that he wrote a letter to President Obama requesting information on the projected costs of U.S. action in Libya over two months ago. Despite the fact that the request was for information vital to Rep. Young’s role as subcommittee chair, he still has not received a response. “I find this lack of response concerning,” said Young, “especially since [Wednesday] we completed the Subcommittee markup of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill without any information from the Administration on the Libyan operation that we had originally requested in my letter on April 1st.”

In a recent email survey conducted by Congressman Pearce’s office, over 84% of respondents stated that the President should not be able to commit our troops to military action without approval from Congress if American security is not threatened. Furthermore, more than 76% stated that Congress should cut off funding for US involvement.

Pearce Votes to Remove Troops From Libya