Boehner: Ground Troops Needed to Defeat ISIS ‘Barbarians’
Josh Siegel /
House Speaker John Boehner said today the United States should send ground forces to fight the militant Islamic State if no other country does.
.@SpeakerBoehner on ISIS: “Somebody’s boots have to be on the ground.”
“At the end of the day, I think it’s gonna take more than airstrikes to drive them outta there,” the Ohio Republican said in an interview airing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “At some point somebody’s boots have to be on the ground.”
Asked if the United States should supply those ground forces if no other country would, Boehner said: “We have no choice. These are barbarians. They intend to kill us. And if we don’t destroy them first, we’re gonna pay the price.”
President Obama has ruled out sending ground combat forces to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in Iraq or Syria.
Boehner also said he would be “happy” to “bring the Congress back” for a vote to authorize strikes against the Islamic State if Obama asked for such a proposal.
Congress is currently away from the nation’s capital as it prepares for the November midterm elections.
Boehner said he agrees the president has the authority to order the airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on his own, but believes Congress should weigh in on the issue.