The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today approved a resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to use military force against Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime. The approved wording limits military action to 60 days with a potential 30 day extension, and includes strong language advocated by Sen. John McCain linking action to an broader strategy against the regime:

The vote came after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., raised objections to an earlier draft. The objections forced lawmakers to renegotiate the measure; McCain ultimately won tougher language clarifying that U.S. policy would be aimed at changing the momentum on the ground. He was among the 10 who voted for the final resolution, after getting two amendments added.

“These amendments are vital to ensuring that any U.S. military operations in Syria are part of a broader strategy to change the momentum on the battlefield in Syria,” McCain said in a statement afterward. “That strategy must degrade the military capabilities of the Assad regime while upgrading the military capabilities of moderate Syrian opposition forces. These amendments would put the Congress on the record that this is the policy of the United States, as President Obama has assured me it is.”

The new language will be read against the backdrop of testimony given yesterday by Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey. Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he had “never been told to change the momentum” of the conflict.

The committee vote was 10-7-1 and the resolution will move to the full Senate.

Meanwhile the House Foreign Affairs Committee heard testimony today from administration officials, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, pressing Obama’s case for strikes. The White House has been signalling confidence that Congress will authorize the President’s request for the use of force, and Reuters had already noted that the administration was gaining ground:

John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor both pledged their support for military action after the meeting. Votes are expected to be held in the Senate and House next week, with the Republican-led House presenting the tougher challenge for Obama… “I believe that my colleagues should support this call for action,” Boehner told reporters.

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