McConnell: Congress will work with Obama on ISIS

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday said lawmakers would work with the Obama administration to defeat the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“Congress will work with the administration to ensure that our forces have the resources they need to carry out these missions,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

{mosads}McConnell’s remarks came the morning after President Obama laid out his strategy for fighting the terrorist group.

Obama said the United States would lead airstrikes by coalition forces and vowed that ISIS will find “no safe haven.” He has asked for Title 10 authority in order to fund training programs for Syrian rebel fighters.

McConnell said this campaign against ISIS would take multiple years, so Congress should consider what the request would mean for the U.S. military.

“I’m hoping that the Congress will consider what this multi-year campaign will mean for the overall defense program, the need to modernize our military to retain dominance of the air and sea in the Asia Pacific theater, to revitalize NATO in the face of Russian aggression, and how to field additional force structure and combat power into U.S. Pacific Command now that Europe and Central Commands require additional tactical units and capabilities,” McConnell said. “Our nation must also rebuild the nuclear triad.”

McConnell said it was “disconcerting” that Senate Democrats are spending the week on political show votes on campaign financing and equal pay for women instead of bills designed to strengthen national security and create jobs.

At 4 p.m., all senators will attend a classified White House briefing on the ISIS threat.