Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning).
WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) says he’s not going to make any final decision concerning increased military force against Islamic extremists in the Middle East until after he hears from his constituents.
Reed – who represents Chautauqua County and the rest of New York’s Southern Tier in Washington – told reporters earlier this week that United States needs to be diligent and fight against the actions of ISIS. However, he said he’s still not ready to decide just how far he thinks the country should go….
“It’s a very difficult question and that’s why these are the most important questions that we weigh in on when we’re asked to authorize military force and potentially put our men and women – our sons, our daughters, our brothers, our sisters – into harms way with our U.S. military operations,” Reed said. “That’s why I wanted to conduct these town halls this week. We’re going to have five of them total, over the next few days, to get the input of the people in the 23rd Congressional District because I think that input is so critical to making an informed decision.”
Reed will hold three town hall meetings in Chautauqua County later this week – all of which will take place on Saturday.
He will be in:
- Ellington (813 W. Main St) at 10 a.m.;
- Brocton (87 W. Main St) at 12:30 p.m.;
- and in Clymer (Dutch Village Restaurant) at 3 p.m.
Last week, President Barack Obama sent lawmakers on Capitol Hill a request for the Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which would allow for continued airstrikes and training of Iraqi soldiers, along with the use of ground forces under certain circumstances.
Obama hopes to combat IS with military force, without creating a long drawn-out war, such as the ones started under the previous administration. One way the president plans to do this is to limit the validity of the Authorization to only three years.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are expected to spend the coming weeks discussing what the appropriate action to take before finalizing a decision.
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