White House ‘gratified’ by vote

President Obama hailed Wednesday’s vote to authorize the Pentagon to train and arm the moderate Syrian opposition as “an important step forward” toward confronting the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“I made clear that we must pursue a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy, and a bipartisan coalition in the House voted to support a critical component of that strategy,” Obama applauded in a statement.

The president and senior administration officials had heavily lobbied Congress ahead of the vote, placing more than 60 phone calls over the past week, according to a White House aide.

Obama said the 273-156 vote, which adds the language to a stopgap spending bill expected to easily pass the Senate, brought the United States closer to making a “decisive difference” in the battle against the ISIS. 

{mosads}He argued that the train-and-equip program would enable opposition fighters to “defend themselves against, and ultimately push back on, [ISIS] forces in Syria, while creating the conditions for the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.”

The president encouraged the Senate to pass the budget measure and military authorization package “without delay.” 

Obama reiterated that praise in person shortly after the vote, as lawmakers swarmed the White House for the annual congressional picnic. He thanked lawmakers for passing an “important component” of his plan for addressing ISIS.

“I want to in particular thank Speaker Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi for showing us that when it comes to America’s national security, America is united,” Obama said.

He added that he hoped the gathering would encourage lawmakers to compromise on other goals in the future, from education to Ebola funding.

“Hopefully a picnic like us just reminds us of the fact that there a lot of people all across the country counting on us to be able to work together.”

Separately, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the administration was “gratified” after majorities in both parties in the House voted for the measure.

“I think we’re gratified by the bipartisan show of support for the president’s strategy to make sure we are ramping up our support for Syrian opposition fighters so we can make sure they are taking the fight to [ISIS] on the ground in their country,” he said in an interview with CNN.

The vote required a diverse coalition because some Republicans who felt the request did not go far enough refused to support the vote, while some Democrats said they were anxious it was a tacit endorsement of additional military action in the region. 

Both Earnest and the president reiterated that there was no intention of sending ground troops into Iraq, and that U.S. military personnel would not enter Syria as part of the mission.

“There will be no U.S. military personnel in Syria as part of this program,” Obama said. “We’ve learned over the last decade, and through our successful campaign to degrade al-Qaeda, that it is more effective to use America’s unique capabilities to take out terrorist targets in support of our partners’ efforts on the ground to secure their own future.”

Earnest defended the president’s decision to explicitly rule out boots on the ground from criticism it telegraphs to ISIS the limits of U.S. military strategy. Obama “believes he has a responsibility to be transparent with the American public about what our strategy is,” the White House spokesman said.

“It’s also important for the Iraqi government and Syrian opposition fighters to understand this is a mission the U.S. military is not going to take on for them. … Ultimately it’s going to be their responsibility to take the fight to [ISIS] in their own country,” he added.

— This post was updated at 7:40 p.m.