The House of Representatives has voted along party lines to repeal a 2002 law authorizing the US to wage war on Iraq. The law was used by the Trump administration to justify the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
The House voted 236 to 166 to kill the 2002 Authorization for Military Force (AUMF) on Iraq. The law was drafted during the presidency of George W. Bush to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has been used by subsequent administrations to continue military activity in the country – most recently to justify the US drone assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad earlier this month.
The bill was one of two pieces of legislation passed by the House on Thursday aimed at curbing Trump’s warmaking powers. Prior to its passage, a bill prohibiting Trump from using federal funds for “unauthorized military force against Iran” cleared the House floor, again along party lines, with a vote of 228-175.
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Though both bills passed the Democrat-controlled House, they will likely be shot down in the Republican-held Senate, or vetoed by Trump if they make it to his desk.
Trump has not threatened military action against Iran in recent weeks, though the bills were written in the aftermath of Soleimani’s killing, when Iran responded by striking Iraqi military bases used by US forces with a flurry of ballistic missiles – prompting fears the US president may launch an all-out offensive on the Islamic Republic.
Ultimately, Trump opted to slap further economic sanctions on Iran rather than use military force.
🚨‼️ BREAKING: The House JUST PASSED my amendment to finally repeal the 2002 AUMF.It’s more urgent than ever for Congress to do its job and prevent the President from using military force without Congressional authorization. #StopEndlessWar
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 30, 2020
The 2002 AUMF is often confused with another AUMF, passed in 2001. The 2001 authorization grants the president the power to wage war without Congressional approval against anyone he deems “planned, authorized, committed or aided” the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since its passing, the act has been invoked 41 times, by multiple administrations, to allow US military action in 19 countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Yemen.
The 2001 AUMF remains in place, despite several attempts to repeal it. California Rep. Barbara Lee (D), the author of both Thursday’s bill and a 2017 bill to scrap the law, was the only member of the House to vote against the AUMF in 2001.
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