By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives joined a Senate push on Thursday for Congress to vote on a formal authorization to use military force against Islamic State, a boost for an effort that has struggled to gain traction among lawmakers.
Eight days after an attack in San Bernardino, California, by a couple who pledged loyalty to the militant group, Republican Representative Scott Rigell and Democratic Representative Peter Welch backed a proposal to formally authorize the use of military force, or AUMF, against it.
"As I see it, we must not fear ISIS, nor should we fear the debate about how to defeat ISIS," Rigell told a news conference, using an alternate name for the group, which has seized swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The two joined Republican Senator Jeff Flake and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, who have been calling for a vote on an authorization for months. Kaine and Flake said it was important for any proposal to have backing from members of both parties and both houses of Congress.
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the right to declare war, but the White House says it has the legal authority it needs because of AUMFs passed in 2001 for the fight against al Qaeda and 2002 for the war in Iraq.
However, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, called on the Republican-controlled Congress to pass a formal authorization to use force in a security address to the nation on Sunday in the wake of the California shootings.
U.S. military leaders have said Congress' formal backing for the campaign against Islamic State would send an important message of support to U.S. troops and the country's allies.
But the House and Senate, where many members paid a steep political price for backing the Iraq War that began in 2003, have been reluctant to consider a declaration of war.
Obama sent an authorization proposal to Congress in February 2015, but neither the chamber has voted on it. Authorization proposals also have been offered by Senator Lindsey Graham, a 2016 Republican White House candidate, and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
