House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Syria

Kerry, Hagel, and Dempsey will present Obama's case for war to important committee in the House

The Obama administration continued its effort to persuade members of the House of Representatives to sanction its push for war in Syria on Wednesday as Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The hearing follows a similar one that took place before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday. That hearing resulted in the formulation of a new resolution penned by committee members that could receive a vote as early as Wednesday.

In the Senate, Obama is likely to need 60 votes to overcome a potential filibuster, USA Today notes, while at least 217 votes are necessary in the House, which currently has two empty seats.

However, Obama has suggested that he may go through with an attack on Syria regardless of how the votes turn out.

_________________________________________

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.