AUMF

Another year, another anniversary of the blank check for endless war.

On July 14, the House Appropriations Committee took three important steps towards ending our endless wars and preventing a new war with Iran.

Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) applauded yesterday’s votes in the House Appropriations Committee to adopt three amendments from Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13) to reassert Congress’s constitutional authority over war powers.

To end endless war, we need to know where the United States is engaged militarily and who we are fighting. One of the ways we work for peace is by pushing for increased government transparency and accountability for U.S. wars.

After nearly 20 years of war, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement on Feb. 29, 2020 aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan.

On Jan. 30, the House passed a repeal of the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (2002 Iraq AUMF) as part of two measures intended to prevent the administration from going to war with Iran. Repealing this disastrous war authorization is a major victory, but it’s crucial that we maintain this momentum to end endless war.

The House will vote this Thursday on repeal of the 2002 Iraq War Authorization. On Jan. 27, FCNL joined a diverse group of organizations from across the ideological spectrum in sending a letter to Congress in support of repeal. Specifically, the groups urged representatives to vote for an amendment to H.R. 550, the Gold Medal Act of 2019. This amendment is nearly identical to Rep. Barbara Lee’s (CA-13) NDAA provision repealing the 2002 Iraq War Authorization, which the House passed last summer, as well as her standalone repeal bill, H.R. 2456.

On this day 18 years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).

On Sept. 10, FCNL joined 61 other groups from across the political spectrum to urge Congress to reassert its authority over war by repealing the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The 2002 Iraq AUMF is what allowed the U.S. to levy war against the Saddam Hussein regime. Now, 17 years after its enactment, it is long past time to put this law to rest.

House and Senate negotiators are currently working on a final policy bill that will direct the Pentagon’s efforts over the next year. On Sept. 10, FCNL joined a diverse group of organizations from across the ideological spectrum in sending a letter to House and Senate leaders of the Armed Services Committees. Together they urged them to preserve the Lee amendment to repeal of the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA).