FCNL Welcomes Bill to Repeal the 2001 AUMF

Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) introduced a bill to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (H.R. 1274). A bipartisan group of 46 representatives joined Rep. Lee to cosponsor the bill.

Congress passed the 2001 AUMF three days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 precipitating the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the ever-growing “war on terror.” Since then, the 2001 AUMF has been used to justify military interventions, indefinite detention, and lethal drone attacks all around the world. Repealing this law would be a welcome step toward reining in U.S. wars and militarism abroad.

It is long past time for Congress to have a thorough debate on U.S. wars. A 17-year old, nearly limitless authorization for war is not a reasonable foundation for our national security policy.

Three administrations have cited the 2001 AUMF as legal justification for rampant U.S. military operations around the globe. In the past two years, the United States has conducted [counterterrorism operations in 80 countries](https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2019/US Counterterror War Locations%2C 2017-18%2C Smithsonian_Costs of War upright.pdf), including combat operations in 14. Rep. Lee’s bill would sunset the outdated and overly broad 2001 AUMF after eight months and would bring to an end more than 17 years of expanding warfare.

The 2001 AUMF has no geographic restrictions, no time limit, no constraints on which kinds of force may be used, and does not clearly name the groups with whom we are at war. The executive branch has interpreted the AUMF to provide a blank check for presidents to conduct war around the globe without additional congressional approval and with minimal congressional oversight.

While it is the president’s duty to act as commander during times of war, it is Congress’s duty to determine when we should go to war and to conduct appropriate oversight of U.S. wars. By neglecting this responsibility, Congress has weakened the checks and balances built into our Constitution and abdicated their war authority. It has become complicit in ever expanding “endless war,” which has cost more than $5.6 trillion and resulted in the [deaths](https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2018/Human Costs%2C Nov 8 2018 CoW.pdf) of a quarter of a million civilians.

Rep. Lee was the sole vote against the 2001 AUMF when it originally passed, and has previously introduced similar legislation to repeal the authorization. In 2017, her amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018 passed the House Appropriations Committee. However, House leadership blocked the measure from advancing to a vote on the floor.

It is long past time for Congress to have a thorough debate on U.S. wars. A 17-year old, nearly limitless authorization for war is not a reasonable foundation for our national security policy. We look forward to weighing in on this debate, and we urge all members of Congress to cosponsor and vote in support of Congresswoman Lee’s bill.