House could vote on Libya resolution Friday

The House could vote on a Libya resolution Friday, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said.

Members of the House Republican conference will meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue; Boehner told reporters Thursday morning that he "expects that this issue will be resolved tomorrow."

On Wednesday, the GOP leadership pulled a measure from the floor schedule amid worries it would pass. The legislation, offered by Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), would have required the administration to withdraw U.S. military personnel from the NATO efforts in Libya within 15 days.

Boehner couldn't say whether the House would vote on Kucinich's resolution or less controversial nonbinding resolutions offered by Republicans.

On Wednesday, Boehner told a handful of journalists that members of his conference needed some additional information before voting on the situation in Libya.

“I think we decided that the House wasn’t ready to decide the question, and I think before we proceed, we want to do so in what we think is the best interest of our country and allow a process for the American people’s will to be heard on the House floor,” Boehner explained.

He did say the administration did not request the House to hold off on the vote.

Kucinich has accused the White House of violating both the Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Resolution by maintaining military operations in Libya without a stamp of approval from Congress. That law requires the White House to secure congressional authorization for military operations within 60 days, or withdraw the forces within the next month.

President Obama has not asked Congress for an explicit authorization of the military mission under the War Powers Resolution, but shortly after the 60-day mark he endorsed a Senate resolution supporting the mission. House leaders have so far ignored that request. More than 70 days have passed since the operations began.

—Russell Berman and Mike Lillis contributed.

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