Emmer: Declare war on Islamic State

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer is leading a call in Congress for the United States to declare war against the Islamic State.

Emmer, R-Minnesota, introduced a joint resolution Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives that would declare war against the terrorist group in response to the recent attacks in Paris.

The resolution would authorize President Obama "to use the Armed Forces of the United States to carry on war against the Islamic State" and "to bring the conflict to a successful termination." No other members of Congress have signed onto the measure yet.

Emmer's resolution marks the first time since World War II that a member of Congress has authored a declaration of war. Congress has formally declared war 11 times in the nation's history, according to the Congressional Research Service. More recently, Congress has authorized the use of military force, such as in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Sixth District freshman House member told the Times on Thursday that the current situation with ISIS warrants the declaration.

"There's no question that what happened on Friday night was an act of war by the Islamic State," Emmer said.

Declarations of war have historically been made against nations, while ISIS is a terrorist organization operating in several countries. Emmer said ISIS occupies hundreds of square miles of land and has as many as 10 million people under its rule.

"They call themselves a state. I believe we should treat them as such," he said. "They control contiguous land across a wide-ranging piece of geography."

A declaration of war would avoid partisan disagreements in the divided Congress, Emmer said.

"This frankly is the best way, because you don't get bogged down into that political discussion," he said. "They've declared war on the United States. They present a real, present and imminent danger to U.S. citizens and the homeland."

Emmer wouldn't say whether he supports sending troops overseas to fight ISIS, saying the decisions about how to fight a war should be left to the commander in chief.

Emmer said the bill has been assigned to the Foreign Affairs Committee. If leadership agrees, it could be pulled directly to the floor for a vote, he said.

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