House of Representatives passes two measures limiting Trump’s ability to go to war with Iran
Khanna, alongside Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., had proposed a similar amendment to the annual must-pass defense spending bill, but it was not included in the final version that Congress approved late last year.
“The American government has spent trillions of taxpayer dollars fighting endless wars across the Middle East,” Khanna said in a statement after his measure passed. “Today, Congress passed two historic pieces of legislation to reassert our authority over matters of war and peace.”
The second measure, to repeal the 2002 Iraq war authorization, was led by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and co-sponsored by 131 Democrats, two Republicans and the independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan.
After her resolution passed, Lee said in a statement that it was “a historic step to reassert our Constitutional authority and stop our endless wars.”
“We cannot afford to leave outdated AUMFs on the books indefinitely,” she said. “It is past time for Congress to finally do our Constitutional duty and vote on matters of war and peace. That extends beyond the 2002 AUMF – we must now work to repeal the overly broad 2001 AUMF.”
The 2002 military force authorization is separate from the more expansive resolution passed in 2001, just days after the September 11 attacks, which authorized force against all those who “planned, authorized, committed, or aided” the individuals who coordinated the strikes.
The 2001 resolution has been used as an authority for 41 operations in 19 countries, according to a 2019 report by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, an anti-war advocacy group.
The 2002 resolution was used by the Obama administration as an “alternative statutory basis” for the campaign against the Islamic State and by the Trump administration to assert authority for the use of force in “Syria or elsewhere,” the report found.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/house-votes-to-block-funding-for-potential-war-with-iran.html