WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are endorsing efforts to terminate the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq, a step that supporters say is necessary to constrain presidential war powers even though it is unlikely to affect U.S. military operations around the world.
Schumer announced Wednesday he intends to bring repeal legislation to the Senate floor this year.
“The Iraq War has been over for nearly a decade,” Schumer said. “The authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary in 2021.”
The White House said in a statement earlier this week it supports the legislation, which the House is expected to pass on Thursday, and stressed that no ongoing military activities are reliant upon the 2002 authorization. It also said that President Joe Biden is committed to working with Congress to replace outdated authorizations of military force with narrower frameworks designed to ensure the U.S. can protect Americans from terrorist threats.
The growing momentum behind the repeal measure comes after years of debate over whether Congress has ceded too much of its war-making authority to the White House. Many lawmakers, particularly Democrats, say passage of the 2002 authorization was a mistake, and some Republicans agree the authority should be taken off the books. Some lawmakers say the 2001 resolution to fight terrorism, passed after the 9/11 attacks, should be re-examined as well.