This week, the Senate voted for the first time to repeal the outdated and overstretched 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which was passed more than two decades ago to authorize the Iraq war.
By a vote of 66-30, the Senate passed Sens. Tim Kaine (VA) and Todd Young’s (IN) bipartisan bill, S. 316, marking the first time in decades that the Senate has voted to end a war.
The 2002 Iraq AUMF was originally passed to authorize war against Saddam Hussein’s government to defend the United States against the alleged threat of weapons of mass destruction. Hussein’s regime was toppled two decades ago, but the 2002 Iraq AUMF remained in place.
By a vote of 66-30, the Senate passed Sens. Tim Kaine (VA) and Todd Young’s (IN) bipartisan bill, S. 316, marking the first time in decades that the Senate has voted to end a war.
It has been controversially interpreted to provide broad authority for military operations far outside its original scope, including as a justification for killing Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January of 2020. Leaving this AUMF in place risks allowing future administrations to abuse it and further usurp Congress’s constitutional responsibility to decide when the United States chooses war.
“A Congressional repeal of the [2002 Iraq AUMF] is a vital step to help heal our country’s addiction to war and end endless wars,” said FCNL General Secretary Bridget Moix. “What we can invest more in to build a safer world is peacebuilding and global cooperation. True peace is more than the absence of fighting. It is addressing the root causes of war and managing conflict nonviolently. As long as the United States can still attack and kill with impunity in Iraq, neither its people nor ours will know true peace.”
The Senate vote follows years of incremental progress towards repeal—progress that FCNL advocates have been a crucial part of. FCNL’s constituents worked for many years to build bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress for repealing the Iraq War authorization. These efforts were vital to the House passage of Rep. Barbara Lee’s (CA-13) bill in 2021 to repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF (H.R. 256). That legislation passed by a strong bipartisan vote of 268-161, including 49 Republican “yes” votes.
It is now up to the House to send a bill repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF to the president’s desk.
FCNL advocates in Washington, D.C. worked with a transpartisan coalition of organizations, including those who focus variously on peace, faith, government accountability, veterans, military families, and human rights, to demonstrate the broad support for repealing this outdated, unnecessary, and dangerous war authorization.
Support for repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF now goes all the way up to the White House. On March 16, 2023, the Biden administration released a Statement of Administration Policy endorsing repeal and noting that this would “support the Administration’s commitment to a strong and comprehensive relationship with our Iraqi partners.”
It is now up to the House to send a bill repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF to the president’s desk. A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Barbara Lee (CA-13), Chip Roy (TX-12), Abigail Spanberger (VA-7) and Tom Cole (OK-4) has introduced a House companion to the Kaine-Young bill (H.R. 932). Critically, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) has indicated an openness to repeal. It is essential that the House seize the moment: Pass this repeal bill, reassert Congress’ war powers authority, and finally bring an end to this chapter of America’s endless wars.
