Just last week, Biden drew friendly fire from within his own party on two major decisions on the world stage.
President Joe Biden’s foreign policy moves in the early stages of his presidency are putting him at odds with his fellow Democrats, some of whom are mounting pressure campaigns to force his hand on some of the most vexing global challenges of the past decade. Just last week, Biden drew friendly fire after ordering airstrikes on Iran-backed militia groups’ facilities in Syria without first seeking congressional approval, and for refusing to impose penalties on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — whom Biden’s administration publicly blamed for the brutal 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It was an early sign of what’s to come for Biden: a Democratic-controlled Congress that won’t hesitate to try to rein in or pressure a Democratic president’s actions on the world stage. “I think we need to grapple with, what more do we do” to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the operation that killed Khashoggi, said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee who counted the slain journalist as one of his constituents. Kaine bluntly said he was “not happy” to learn that the crown prince was not among the Saudi operatives the Biden administration sanctioned last week. Kaine has also pushed to repeal the 2001 and 2002 war authorizations that presidents from both parties have used to justify U.S. military action connected to terrorism threats. The Democratic party’s 2016 vice presidential nominee criticized Biden’s Syria strikes and the potential for a more active, tit-for-tat conflict with Iran that could escalate into a full-blown war. “Congress is supposed to be the decision-maker here on the initiation” of strikes, Kaine said. “I shouldn’t have to hypothesize it — [the Biden administration] should come and lay out the rationale.” Biden and those closest to him have often said foreign policy is his “first love.” A former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he is known for respecting Congress’ role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. By not imposing penalties on the crown prince, though, the president is practically inviting members of Congress to push him to go further. The crown prince “is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and if you don’t have any consequences here, it is open season on journalists,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who wrote the law requiring the release of the U.S. intelligence report that blamed the crown prince. Wyden is also pushing Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify additional documents about the operation that led to Khashoggi’s killing, though he did not go into further detail.
