The House of Representatives rejected a bill that would have cut off support for the NATO mission in Libya, a surprising victory for the White House in its power struggle with Congress.
The vote on funding followed the rejection earlier Friday of another measure that would have authorized current level of military force Libya for one year, which was seen as a rebuke to President Obama.
Despite growing frustration in Congress over the White House's handling of the Libya mission, the failure of the back-to-back votes in the House will preserve the status quo for now, allowing the U.S. military to continue operations in Libya.
The attempt to strip funding was in large part an attempt to give voice to that frustration. Republicans blasted the president as conducting an unconstitutional military mission, while setting a dangerous precedent that would give executive branch nearly unchecked power to wage war.
"If the president believes that missile strikes and drone operations taking place in Libya are critical, it is his responsibility to explain [that] to the American people and to seek authorization from this Congress. Because the president has failed to do that ... we are here today," House Speaker John Boehner said from the floor before the vote.
The White House argues that because the United States is acting as a part of NATO, its engagement does not meet the definition of "hostilities" that require congressional authorization under the War Powers Act.
The argument has won over few in Congress, even Democratic allies. But opponents of the House bill argued that the solution was to authorize the Libya mission. Cutting off the funding was merely attempt to score political points, while risking damaging out relationship with allies, they argued.
"If we want our allies to stand by us in our time of need in Afghanistan we have to stand by them by them in places like Libya," said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, (D-Md.) "We're either in an alliance or we're not."
Earlier, an attempt to authorize current level of military force Libya for one year failed. That measure, identical to one with bipartisan support in the Senate, was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 123-295. Seventy Democrats joined with Republicans to reject the measure, 8 Republicans voted for the measure.
The funding bill failed 180-238. It would have cut all U.S. financial backing for the mission until authorized by Congress. It makes an exception for a short list of specific activities not directly related to a typical definition of "hostilities," including intelligence gathering, search and rescue, aerial refueling and planning.
Opponents argued that the bill would essentially end U.S. involvement in the mission.
Even if it passed, the bill would have had virtually no chance of becoming law. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has expressed support for the mission in Libya and was not expected to bring it up for a vote.
