Wednesday, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced a bipartisan bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq. The legislation will formally end the authorizations for the Gulf and Iraq wars – 28 and 17 years, respectively, after these AUMFs were first passed, reasserting Congress’ vital role in not only declaring wars, but in ending them. The repeal of these authorizations also recognizes the strong partnership the United States now has with a sovereign, democratic Iraq.
This bill is an effort to prevent the future misuse of the expired Gulf and Iraq War authorizations and strengthen Congressional oversight over war powers.
Repealing these authorities will not impact the United States’ ability to finish the war on ISIS. As a Marine, Senator Young has advocated for a new AUMF targeting ISIS since coming to the Senate in January 2017. Senator Young introduced legislation to authorize the use of force against ISIS and published an op-ed explaining why he believed it necessary.