Kaine & Young Call for Repeal of 2002 AUMF Ahead of 20th Anniversary

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) released the following statement calling for the passage of their bill to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The 2002 AUMF was signed into law nearly 20 years ago—on October 16, 2002—and authorized the use of military force against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.

“Decisions as important as whether to send service members into harm’s way warrant careful deliberation and consensus, which is why our Founders gave Congress—rather than any single commander in chief—the power to formally declare and end wars. By failing to repeal outdated and unnecessary AUMFs, Congress is abdicating its responsibility to provide oversight over military action and leaving these war authorizations subject to abuse. It is long past time to reassert Congress’ vital role in these decisions. Our bill has the support of a strong bipartisan majority and deserves a vote on the Senate floor during consideration of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. We owe it to our nation’s service members, military families, and veterans to pass our legislation repealing the 2002 AUMF and formally end the Iraq War.”

Kaine and Young, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), have been the leading voices in Congress raising concerns over the use of military force without congressional authorization. They’ve introduced legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 war authorizations that could be subject to misuse by future presidents. Last month, Kaine filed the legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA is expected to be considered by the Senate in November or December.

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