Rogers: Congress will approve Syria strike

U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said Sunday he thinks Congress will support a military strike against Syria.

“I think at the end of the day, Congress will rise to the occasion,” Rogers said on CNN’s “State of The Union.” “This is a national security issue. This isn’t about Barack Obama versus the Congress. This isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats.”

President Obama said Saturday the United States should take military action against Syria for what he has concluded is a chemical attack. But Obama said he would first seek authorization from Congress for a strike.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that evidence suggests sarin nerve gas was used in the deadly attack that killed nearly 1,500 people in Syria. Rogers said that when members of Congress see the evidence of the attack, they will be inclined to support a military strike.

Evidence of an attack “is convincing and getting better,” Rogers said. He said he believes it is going to take a “healthy debate,” though, before Congress signs off on military action.

Washington Post