Senate Foreign Relations Committee members attend the hearing Wednesday. Susan Walsh/AP
The First Low Hurdle for Military Action in Syria Is Cleared
Senate Foreign Relations panel passes resolution.
A day after hearing testimony in support of military action in Syria, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved its draft resolution of authorization in a split partisan vote on Wednesday. For an administration that's shown complete confidence that a resolution will pass Congress, it was likely both a relief and somewhat alarming.
Within hours of the conclusion of testimony from the secretaries of Defense and State on Tuesday, the committee released a document approving the use of military resources by the president that largely maintained President Obama's original suggestions. The latest vote from the committee moved a version of Senate's document to the full body for a vote.
As has increasingly been the case on national security issues, the vote did not break down along party lines. Two Democrats -- Tom Udall of New Mexico and Connecticut's Chris Murphy -- voted against the measure. Three Republicans voted for it, including John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona, and minority chair Bob Corker of Tennessee, who helped draft the document.