Senate Votes To Repeal Iraq Military Authorizations

The Senate voted on Wednesday to repeal the authorizations for the Iraq and Persian Gulf wars decades after they were instituted.

All Democrats and independents who cast ballots in favor of the test were joined by 18 Republicans. According to C – SPAN, the final score was 66 to 30, with four representatives never casting a ballot.

Sen. seats to overturn the AUMFs against Iraq from 1991 and 2002 are 66 to 30. Senators Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) and Todd Young( R-IN ) have introduced a bipartisan bill that is now moving to the House. photograph. twitter.com / KEdbzh8iUW

— March 29, 2023, Craig Caplan(@ CraigCaplan )

The bill targets the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in 1991, which paved the way for military force in the Gulf War when George H.W. Bush was president, and the AUMF in 2002 that green-lit the 2003 invasion of Iraq when his son, George W. Bush, was president.

The legislation still needs the government’s personal and approval from the Republican-controlled House before it can become law.

The repeal is supported by President Joe Biden, according to the White House, which stated this month that it” would have no impact on current U.S. military operations and had assistance this Administration’s commitment to a good and detailed relationship with our Kurdish partners.”

Sen. The legislation was reintroduced earlier this year by Tim Kaine( D-VA ) and Todd Young( R-IN ). They stated in a statement that the bill was intended to” strongen Congressional supervision over combat power and prevent future use of the expired Gulf and Iraq War permissions.”

Additionally, the senators emphasized that repealing these laws did not affect continuing American efforts to combat ISIS.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell( R – KY ), who did not cast a ballot on Wednesday, was one of those opposed to the repeal. After receiving physical treatment at an acute facility after falling and suffering a concussion and small rib fracture, he reportedly went home.

In a speech, McConnell stated that” I oppose Congress sunsetting any military force approvals in the Middle East.” ” Our criminal adversaries aren’t giving up on their fight against us.” Additionally, we must give our service members as much assistance and formal protection as we can when we place them in danger.

The battle authorizations have often served as the foundation for presidential action, according to The Associated Press. The helicopter strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, near the Baghdad International Airport in 2020 was justified by the White House of former President Donald Trump.