Biden backs Senate efforts to repeal old military authorizations for Iraq and Gulf wars
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday said he is supporting a Senate bill that would repeal decades-old military authorizations and formally end the Iraq and Gulf Wars.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., reintroduced the bipartisan legislation that would prevent future presidents from misusing military force without congressional authorization. He introduced similar legislation in 2019 to repeal authorizations for military force in the Gulf and Iraq Wars were originally issued in 1991 and 2002..
The current bill to repeal the authorization for the use of military force, or AUMF, passed a key procedural hurdle Thursday afternoon 68-27. A vote before the full Senate is expected next week.
Kaine's proposed bill has dozens of bipartisan cosponsors and is supported by top leaders.
"Americans are tired of endless wars," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said Wednesday. "... this is the week the Senate will begin the process to end the legal authority that started the Iraq War two decades ago."
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Kaine bill gives Congress more war powers
In addition to repealing the authorizations for use of military force specifically for the Iraq and Gulf Wars, Kaine's bill also gives Congress more power in determining when to send troops into combat.
"This is part of a larger strategy of getting Congress to really own a responsibility that we should jealously guard – which is determination about when the nation should be at war and the ability to declare 'OK, the war is over'," Kaine told Paste BN.
He also noted the congressionally-approved authorized military action could be misused by presidents years later for unintended purposes.
"If congress has authorized military action... but then if we just leave that authorization on the books long after the war is over, it really creates an opportunity for mischief," Kaine said.
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Biden supports AUMF bill
Biden, who previously served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is backing Kaine's bill and would support passage of the legislation.
Repealing the authorizations would not impact current military operations, according to a statement from the Biden administration, because the United States does not have ongoing military activities related to the decades-old authorizations.
Kaine credited support from the Biden administration as part of his reasoning for re-introducing the bill this Congress, saying the president understands the role of Congress from his time in the upper chamber.
More: Biden puts a twist on 'America First' even as he moves to unravel Trump's foreign policy
March 19 marks 20-year Iraq war anniversary
The 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the Iraq and Gulf Wars passed more than two decades ago. March 19 marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War invasion.
Kaine first introduced legislation repealing the military force authorizations in 2019. The House passed the bill in June 2021, but it died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Kaine said his colleagues have become more concerned about Congress advocating for the authorization responsibility to the president.
Military force authorizations should be repealed because Iraq is now an ally to the United States, Kaine said. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Baghdad at the beginning of the month.
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When is the AUMF vote?
Kaine's bill passed a procedural hurdle Thursday and will move to a floor vote in the full chamber next week, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.