WASHINGTON — President Obama faces a daunting and uphill battle to win congressional authorization for a military strike on Syria, a USA TODAY Network survey of senators and representatives finds.
The comprehensive poll of Congress finds that only a small fraction of the 533 lawmakers -- 22 senators and 22 House members -- are willing to say they will support the use of force in response to the reported use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. Far more overall -- 19 senators and 130 House members -- say they will oppose a resolution that would authorize military strikes.
The largest group of lawmakers remains undecided, including a majority of the Senate and the House. That could create an opportunity for the president to persuade them in a string of six interviews with TV network anchors Monday and a televised address to the nation Tuesday. The Senate could vote as early as Wednesday.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to images like the ones we’ve seen out of Syria,” Obama said in his weekly radio address Saturday. “Failing to respond to this outrageous attack would increase the risk that chemical weapons could be used again; that they would fall into the hands of terrorists who might use them against us, and it would send a horrible signal to other nations that there would be no consequences for their use of these weapons. All of which would pose a serious threat to our national security.”
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough made the rounds of the morning talk shows Sunday, making the administration’s case.
Congress isn’t convinced. In the survey:
The comprehensive poll of Congress finds that only a small fraction of the 533 lawmakers -- 22 senators and 22 House members -- are willing to say they will support the use of force in response to the reported use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. Far more overall -- 19 senators and 130 House members -- say they will oppose a resolution that would authorize military strikes.
The largest group of lawmakers remains undecided, including a majority of the Senate and the House. That could create an opportunity for the president to persuade them in a string of six interviews with TV network anchors Monday and a televised address to the nation Tuesday. The Senate could vote as early as Wednesday.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to images like the ones we’ve seen out of Syria,” Obama said in his weekly radio address Saturday. “Failing to respond to this outrageous attack would increase the risk that chemical weapons could be used again; that they would fall into the hands of terrorists who might use them against us, and it would send a horrible signal to other nations that there would be no consequences for their use of these weapons. All of which would pose a serious threat to our national security.”
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough made the rounds of the morning talk shows Sunday, making the administration’s case.
Congress isn’t convinced. In the survey: