Dem Bills Would Prevent Iraq-U.S. Long-Term Pact without Congress Say-So2012, 2020, forever. Whatever the terms hashed out between the administration and Nouri al-Maliki’s government, the administration has said that they won’t have to consult Congress to finish the deal.
As we reported back in November, that wouldn’t be unusual, as these types of agreements (called Status of Forces Agreements) are typically handled solely by the executive branch. It’s not a “formal” treaty, the kind the Constitution dictates must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate. And White House war adviser Douglas Lute has made it clear that the negotiations “will lead to the status of a formal treaty.”
But Congress is maneuvering to make sure that they get a say. Today, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will introduce the Iraq Strategic Agreement Review Act of 2008, which would require the administration to consult with Congress on the agreement and withhold funds for the agreement if it did not come in the form of a formal treaty. “We simply cannot allow the Administration to finalize an agreement that could lead to permanent bases in Iraq and other major economic and political commitments without Congressional consultations and approval,” she says in a statement on the bill.
Last month, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced a similar bill in the Senate, which would also withhold funds for any agreement that wasn’t a formal treaty. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is as of now the sole co-sponsor. The bill was referred to the Senate foreign relations committee. It seems likely that Senate Republicans will put their vaunted obstruction powers to work on this one.
Update: Here’s the text of the bill.