AUMF

FCNL applauds today’s House vote to repeal the outdated 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.

This week, the House Appropriations Committee voted to repeal the two authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) that four presidents have used to justify more than 20 years of U.S. wars.

As concerns continue to develop over Russia’s attacks against Ukraine, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) has responded by introducing a new authorization for use of military force (AUMF), which would give President Biden authority to use force should Russia deploy chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.

Given the experience in Afghanistan, it’s clearer than ever the global war on terror has been an unmitigated humanitarian and strategic disaster.

Ultimately, Congress will need to repeal the law that allows these endless and ever-expanding wars: the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.

On this twentieth anniversary, I’m contemplating the fact that my country has been at war for the past two decades, nearly my entire life.

If anything, the last 20 years has taught us that endless wars are harming people and the planet as well as the generations that come after us. Today, it is our fervent hope that endless war will be no more.

Following two years of sustained advocacy by FCNL’s professional lobbyists and Advocacy Teams, a congressional committee approved a bill to repeal a dangerous, outdated war authorization that has been used to justify military actions never approved by Congress.

These days, getting Democrats and Republicans — Congress and the President — to agree on anything meaningful seems like a pipe dream. But now there is a rapidly growing consensus throughout Washington on one important matter: the constitutional responsibility of Congress to decide when — and if — our country goes to war.

A small group of determined advocates with the moral high ground can make a big difference.