President Obama’s plan to bomb Syria has won key congressional support just as lawmakers begin a series of votes. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have agreed on a draft measure that would authorize a 60-day window for military action against Syria, with a potential 30-day extension. Debate on a similar measure begins today in the House, and full votes in both chambers are expected Monday. President Obama picked up more Republican support on Tuesday, with both House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor pledging to back military action against Syria. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also endorsed President Obama’s call for a military strike, despite acknowledging a lack of support among her constituents in California. In a meeting with lawmakers, Obama vowed to pursue a “limited” strike on Syria, and suggested that he may expand U.S. assistance to rebels fighting the Assad regime.

President Obama: “What we are envisioning is something limited. It is something proportional. It will degrade Assad’s capabilities. At the same time, we have a broader strategy that will allow us to upgrade the capabilities of the opposition, allow Syria ultimately to free itself from the kinds of terrible civil wars and death and activity that we’ve been seeing on the ground.”