April 28, 1999
Web posted at: 10:23 p.m. EDT (0223 GMT)

WASHINGTON (ALLPOLITICS, April 28 )-- A divided House of Representatives refused to endorse NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia Wednesday, after voting earlier to limit President Bill Clinton's authority to introduce ground forces into the Kosovo campaign.

In what was intended to be a largely symbolic vote, a Democrat-sponsored resolution to lend after-the-fact support to the airstrikes failed in 213-213 tie, despite the backing of House Speaker Dennis Hassert (R-Illinois.)

In another disappointment for the White House, the House voted 249-180 to require Clinton to get congressional approval before sending ground troops to Kosovo.

The votes came despite appeals from Clinton that the United States must speak "with a single voice" on the crisis, as he said NATO had done.

Democrats suggested the president might veto the measure if it was enacted. Clinton has maintained that ground troops will not be necessary in Kosovo.

However, lawmakers said Clinton had promised several hours earlier at a White House meeting of congressional members that he would not attempt to put combat troops into Kosovo without first seeking congressional consent.

Clinton later sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois saying he "would ask for congressional support before introducing U.S. ground forces into Kosovo in a non-permissive environment."

White House officials emphasized that Clinton would only ask for support, not approval or authorization from Congress about ground troops.

Clinton, speaking to reporters at the White House, also urged Congress to avoid any legislation that could be misinterpreted by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. He said the 19 nations of NATO are speaking with one voice on the Kosovo issue. "America must continue to speak with a single voice as well," he said.

The ground option is being reviewed by NATO's military commanders, however, and the United States is sending more troops and equipment to the region.

Democrats attacked the House measure as aiding Milosevic by telegraphing U.S.intentions.

"We tell Milosevic, just hunker down, wait us out and you'll win, because we're announcing ahead of time what we won't do. This, in my estimation, aids and abets Mr. Milosevic," said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York). (280k wav file)

Democrats also said the measure was so vaguely worded that it could hamper NATO's ability to use Apache attack helicopters that were recently sent to Albania.

"This will hamstring our troops in the field," said Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas).

"The language in this legislation is unnecessary," said Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri. He said the bill "would be harmful to our effort" by suggesting mixed resolve.

However, a fair number of Democrats said the resolution does not go farther than the requirements of the 1973 War Powers Act, which says the president must get congressional approval for keeping combat troops deployed for more than 60 days.

Republicans, who hold a slight majority in the House, said Congress is simply exercising its constitutional responsibility and forcing Clinton to keep his word on not sending in ground forces. They also said the measure was intended only to apply to ground combat missions.

"If Mr. Milosevic should ever see American ground troops on the ground, he should have no doubt that that has been the product of a unified decision between the presidency and the Congress prior to those troops being present on that soil," said House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

Other Republicans simply oppose the president's policy outright.

"We should not even be in the Balkans," said Rep. Floyd Spence (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Armed Services Committee. "The national security of this country is not at stake."

The measure was backed by Hastert and the Republican leadership. Two other proposals -- one demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region and another other for a declaration of war against Yugoslavia -- were rejected by wide margins.

The proposal to bring all U.S. forces home failed by a vote of 290 to 139. The measure to formally declare war on Yugoslavia was rejected 427-2.

Rep. Tom Campbell pushed for the resolutions to test the terms of the War Powers Act. The California Republican said ground troops are imminent in Kosovo. "The framers (of the Constitution) were quite clear that war was too important to be commenced by the action of one single individual," he said.

Campbell opposes the Kosovo action and believes U.S. forces should be removed from the region.

The debate over the resolutions exposed the mixed feelings held by some members of Congress about the Kosovo campaign.

"In fact, to put troops on the ground reinforces a failed policy that is frankly a sign of arrogance? What should we do? Mediate," said Rep. John Kasich (R-Ohio).

"As kindly as I can, let me say that Neville Chamberlin rose up and said, 'let us mediate,'' said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), referring to the former British prime minister who tried to negotiate with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

The House also was to consider a Democratic proposal voicing general support for the air campaign. The Senate has not voted on the legislation. It previously voted support for airstrikes.

Democrats attempted to block further debate but the Republican majority overcame that effort, on a 213-210 party-line procedural vote. The vote was closer than it would have been otherwise because some Republicans had not returned from a White House briefing on Kosovo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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