House Readying to Repeal 2002 Iraq War Authorization

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Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:59 pm

The House of Representatives is set to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Iraq. Democrats have been trying to reverse the AUMF for years.

The news comes a day after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced he supports repealing the AUMF.

Schumer said repealing the authorization “will eliminate the danger of a future administration reaching back into the legal dust bin to use it as a justification for military adventurism.”

“At the beginning of last year, we saw that danger become frightfully real when President Trump ordered an air strike against an Iranian target in Iraq without transparency, without proper notification to Congress, and without a clear strategy,” he continued.

The White House, under former President Donald Trump, argued that the January 3, 2020 strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was justified, citing the 2002 AUMF.

“Although the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime was the initial focus of the statute, the United States has long relied upon the 2002 AUMF to authorize the use of force for the purpose of establishing a stable, democratic Iraq and addressing terrorist threats emanating from Iraq,” a White House notice read.

In 2020, the House adopted a resolution to limit Trump’s military actions in Iran after the killing of Soleimani.

Last week, in our view, the administration conducted a provocative disproportionate airstrike against Iran which endangered Americans, and did so without consulting Congress,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at the time.