Senators call for AUMF repeal

By John Liang / October 24, 2019 at 3:08 PM

Two Senate Democrats are calling for the repeal of what they call the "outdated" 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force legislation that gave the congressional go-ahead for the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In their letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) write: "Despite clear congressional intent and the plain language of the 2002 AUMF, successive administrations have sought to weaken the Legislative Branch's Article I power to declare war by claiming that the 2002 AUMF provides authority for counter ISIS operations initiated long after the death of Saddam Hussein, and more recently, as an authorization to address threats to, or stemming from, Iraq."

Repealing the AUMF "will achieve what is already clear: that it was never an unlimited authorization for use of military force that could justify military operations against new adversaries and fought by U.S. servicemembers who may have been born after the 2002 AUMF was signed into law," the senators write.

Read the full letter.

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