House approves amendment saying Congress has not authorized use of force in Libya

The House on Wednesday afternoon approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that says the U.S. Congress has not authorized military actions in Libya. Adoption of the amendment, from Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), was done by voice vote that also approved about a dozen other amendments.

Garrett's amendment is short, and simply states: "Nothing in this Act or any amendment made by this Act shall be construed to authorize military operations in Libya." It was approved after a brief debate in which only Garrett addressed his amendment.

Adoption of this language could be as close as the House gets to a resolution that deals with the growing issue of whether Congress needs to authorize additional military operations in Libya.

Some members argue that the Obama administration needs to get congressional authorization now that the operation has passed the 60-day mark, and prefer a more specific bill that requires the administration to pull troops out of Libya. This is based on the War Powers Act, which says the president can commit troops for 60 days, after which he needs congressional authorization for continued operations.

In the Senate, in contrast, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) have proposed a resolution that offers support for the Libya mission.

While the amendment was approved Wednesday, final passage of the NDAA is not expected until Thursday at the earliest.