Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), the No. 2 Democrat in the House, intends to oppose a resolution to pull U.S. forces from Libya when it hits the floor Wednesday.

Hoyer said the proposal, sponsored by anti-war Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), would undermine the relationship between the United States and the other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, which is leading efforts to help Libyan rebels overthrow longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

“If that means not supporting the NATO allies who jointly undertook this enterprise, I don’t intend to support that,” Hoyer told reporters Tuesday during a press briefing at the Capitol. “That’s not a wise policy.”

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The criticism highlights the disagreement on Capitol Hill over a legal question as old as the country itself: How much power does the White House have to wage war without explicit approval from Congress?

Under the Constitution, the authority to wage war falls squarely with the legislative branch. But a 1973 law — the War Powers Act — empowers the president to launch military operations unilaterally in the face of imminent threats.

It was the War Powers Act that President Obama invoked when he launched the attacks on Libya in March without congressional authorization. The law requires presidents to secure that authorization within 60 days, or withdraw forces within the next 30. After roughly a week of leading international forces, the U.S. military passed the task to NATO.

Congress still has not approved the mission, and the Pentagon’s involvement — which includes a no-fly zone, bombing raids, a sea blockade and civilian-protection operations — is now more than 70 days old.

The issue has prompted a backlash from an odd group of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans, who say Obama lacks the authority to maintain the operations — which are costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars — without Congress’s consent.

Kucinich’s proposal would require Obama to withdraw U.S. forces from the mission until he secures approval from Congress.

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On day 60, Obama penned a letter to congressional leaders asking for their endorsement of the Libyan mission.

Such a move “would confirm that the Congress supports the U.S. mission in Libya and that both branches are united in their commitment to supporting the aspirations of the Libyan people for political reform and self-government,” the president wrote.

Since then, however, the only congressional action on the issue has been in the opposite direction.

As part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the House last week approved two amendments pushing back against the administration’s claims that it doesn’t need congressional approval to maintain U.S. forces in Libya.

The first, sponsored by Rep. Scott Garrett Ernest (Scott) Scott GarrettBiz groups take victory lap on Ex-Im Bank Export-Import Bank back to full strength after Senate confirmations Manufacturers support Reed to helm Ex-Im Bank MORE (R-N.J.), specifies that the underlying legislation should not be interpreted as authorizing the Libyan mission. The second, sponsored by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, prohibits the use of ground troops there.

“Congress is not satisfied with the blank check that this administration has written for itself to conduct the Libyan war,” Kucinich said after passage of the amendments. “Further attempts to expand the Libyan war will not be tolerated.”

Hoyer on Tuesday suggested the two amendments were signal enough to the White House that Congress expects there to be limits on the Pentagon’s involvement in Libya. Still, he warned, a full withdrawal could damage relations with some of America’s closest allies.

The mission in Libya is “different [from] putting boots on the ground,” Hoyer said. “We all voted [to] make sure that couldn’t be done.

“But to have a unilateral withdrawal from a NATO enterprise before it ends,” he added, “would not be good for our NATO alliance.”

Other House leaders — including Speaker John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE (R-Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — have said they support the Libyan operation, but have also urged Obama to consult Congress more frequently about the mission.

The House is scheduled to vote on the Kucinich proposal on Wednesday.

This story was originally published at 2:32 p.m. and was updated at 7:44 p.m.