Congressman Moulton Releases Statement on the President’s Request for Military Authorization against ISIL

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), released a statement following the President’s request for Congress to authorize a three-year military operation against the terrorist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

"ISIL is a national security threat to the United States, and we must have a strategy to defeat them. I believe the only way to ensure the defeat of ISIL in the long-term is for local forces, supported politically by moderate regional governments, to lead this fight and take ownership of their own future.

“I am not ready to support an authorization for military force until the Administration presents a comprehensive strategy to ensure long-term success. The strategy should be led by political and diplomatic efforts to unify and empower a local coalition to defeat ISIL, supported by American military assistance—not the other way around.

“In the days and weeks ahead, I look forward to working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, with the President, and with our diplomatic and military leaders to protect our national security and keep faith with all the troops who have already sacrificed so much for our country in Iraq and elsewhere across the globe.”

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