Trump administration says current war authority sufficient

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says it has sufficient legal authority for military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and is not seeking any changes to the 2001 law.

In a letter to Congress, the administration says the authorization for the use of military force that Congress passed after the Sept. 11 terror attacks grants the military the authority to defend U.S. and allied forces fighting against Islamic State forces.

The letter came Wednesday, the same day Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were briefing members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill.

Republicans and Democrats have raised questions about whether the 2001 law, passed as the U.S. was targeting al-Qaida, should be revised.

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