[pjw] NEWS: House votes to repeal two more AUMFs (no, not that one)

[Peace and Justice Works]

PJW supporters

For what it's worth, I joined the peace movement to try stopping the first 
war on Iraq in 1991, and am excited to see we're one step closer to 
repealing the authorization for that war to continue. The Senate hasn't 
taken up the previous vote about the 2002 Iraq War authorization yet, and 
still has to review the two vote noted below. Two votes, because in 
addition to a bipartisan vote to finally end the "Gulf War," the House 
also voted to get rid of Eisenhower's war powers to stop communism in the 
Middle East.

Of course, nobody's yet ready to touch the "third rail" of the 2001 
Authorization post 9/11 which has essentially kept the US in perpetual war 
since then, but who knows, maybe the appetite will change. I'm afraid a 
lot will hinge on the upcoming withdrawal/non-withdrawal from Afghanistan.

dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group


  https://thehill.com/policy/defense/560763-house-votes-to-repeal-1991-1957-war-authorizations
House votes to repeal 1991, 1957 war authorizations
    By [139]Rebecca Kheel - 06/29/21 02:38 PM EDT

    The House on Tuesday voted to repeal a pair of decades-old war
    authorizations related to the Middle East amid a broader debate over
    presidential war powers.

    As part of a package of seven bills considered to be uncontroversial,
    the House voted 366-46 to repeal the 1991 authorization for the use of
    military force (AUMF) that greenlit the Gulf War in Iraq, as well as a
    1957 resolution that provided broad authorization for military action
    in the Middle East to protect against "armed aggression from any
    country controlled by international communism."

    The "no" votes came entirely from Republicans.

    The vote comes just under two weeks after the House [142]voted to
    repeal the 2002 AUMF that authorized the Iraq War. It also comes days
    after President Biden ordered fresh airstrikes in Iraq and Syria
    against Iranian-back militias that have [149]reignited war powers
    debates among lawmakers.

    Biden did not cite an AUMF as his legal authority for Sunday's strikes,
    nor did he do so for similar strikes in February.

    But proponents of repealing the aging war authorizations argue they
    must be taken off the books or else risk being abused by the executive
    branch.

    "By not repealing an AUMF and allowing it to remain long after it has
    served this purpose, we open the door for future administrations of
    either party to abuse that authority and stretch the authorization far
    beyond its original purpose," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman
    Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said Monday during floor debate on the
    bills approved Tuesday.

    But unlike the repeal of the 2002 AUMF, which was a mostly partisan
    vote, repealing the 1991 and 1957 laws were seen as uncontroversial.

    Both repeals were on the House's "suspension" calendar, which is
    reserved for bills that can pass by voice vote or at least a two-thirds
    majority in a roll call vote.

    "The specific point of this law was accomplished," House Foreign
    Affairs Committee ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said of
    the 1991 AUMF.
    "Therefore there's no reason to leave it on the books. It is, in that
    sense, very different from the 2002 Iraq AUMF."

    On the 1957 resolution, McCaul called it an "unused relic of the Cold
    War," adding with a chuckle that he "wasn't even born when this one was
    enacted -- just barely though."

    Republicans argue repealing the 2002 law could hamstring
    counterterrorism missions, though the main authorization for those
    operations is the 2001 AUMF.

    The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to consider a bill
    in July that would repeal both the 2002 and 1991 AUMFs.

    The panel had originally been expected to consider the bill this month
    but delayed the markup at the request of Republicans, who demanded a
    briefing from the administration before voting on repealing the 2002
    authorization.
    142. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/558930-house-votes-to-repeal-2002-iraq-war-powers
  149. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/560640-biden-airstrikes-heat-up-debate-over-war-powers