North Indy News

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) against Iraq, a move supported by Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). The measure was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The AUMFs, enacted more than two decades ago to authorize military action during the Gulf and Iraq wars, have remained in place despite calls for their repeal.

Young and Kaine have advocated for ending these authorizations over several years. In a joint statement, they said: “The Founding Fathers knew that decisions as important as whether or not to send servicemembers into harm’s way should require careful deliberation and consensus. But for decades, Congress has ceded this constitutional responsibility. The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs are no longer necessary, and leaving them on the books carries risk of potential misuse. The House’s overwhelming support for repealing these AUMFs is a critical step forward in reasserting Congress’ role in decisions of war and peace, and keeping U.S. servicemembers safe. Since the Senate has previously voted to repeal these AUMFs with a strong bipartisan majority, we will do all we can to ensure that this provision is included in the version of the bill that goes to the President’s desk.”

Previous efforts to repeal these authorizations saw separate votes: the House voted for repeal in June 2021 while the Senate did so in March 2023; however, because those votes took place during different congressional sessions, they did not result in new law.