Kaine Statement On House Appropriations Committee Action On AUMF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the House Appropriations Committee’s adoption of an amendment that would repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and move Congress closer to voting on a new authorization:

“I’m glad to see bipartisan support in Congress for a new AUMF. The authorization I drafted with Senator Flake presents a clear framework for Congress to finally fulfill its constitutional duty by debating and authorizing U.S. military action against ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. It also repeals the overstretched 2001 and 2002 AUMFs that are questionably being used for operations around the globe. I’m hopeful this renewed energy will help us address the lack of proper legal authority for the Trump Administration’s ongoing military actions and allow us to show our troops, allies, and the American public that Congress is behind them in this fight.”

Kaine has long been a leading voice in the Senate on Congress's role in authorizing military action and the need for a new authorization for use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS. In 2013, Kaine voted in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to authorize military force against Syria following Assad's use of chemical weapons against his own people.  Last month, Kaine and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake introduced a bipartisan AUMF against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.

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