Lawmakers Unsuccessfully Tried to Ban President's 'Signature' Drone Strikes
Failed in committee
Three members of the House Intelligence Committee recently made an unsuccessful attempt to ban so-called 'signature' drone strikes—attacks in which the targets of lethal U.S. actions are identified by their actions rather than as individuals.
However, the author of the intelligence authorization bill amendment that was voted down, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), told POLITICO Sunday that she plans to continue to press for a stop to such strikes because she views them as morally dubious and counterproductive for the U.S.
"I just think it is time for us to consider this kind of perpetual war and also take into account: what's the blowback? What's the negative consequences?" Schakowsky said. "It's a cost-benefit analysis as well, not just a moral question."
Schakowsky's amendment, which failed, 3-17, was discussed in general terms in a House report made public last week. However, the congresswoman gave a bit more detail about the measure Sunday, saying it would only have applied outside declared combat zones. Inside such areas, it is commonplace for military forces to attack suspected enemies without knowing their specific identities.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?