Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) on Monday pressed for an immediate House vote to repeal aging presidential war powers following President Trump’s decision to forgo congressional input and launch a drone strike that killed a top Iranian commander.
In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Kennedy asked that the House take up legislation to repeal the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs). The 2001 AUMF authorized U.S. military force against those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and any “associated forces,” while the 2002 authorization was meant to go after Saddam Hussein’s government in Iraq.
Democrats have argued that the AUMFs have been used beyond their scope to justify military operations around the globe — including the Reaper drone strike ordered by Trump that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week — and that they must be repealed and replaced with more tailored legislation.
Pelosi on Sunday told Democratic members that the House will vote on a “War Powers Resolution” mandating that the administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days if no further congressional action is taken.
Kennedy, who is challenging Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) for his Senate seat, applauded Pelosi’s decision in his letter, but also pressed for “an immediate debate and vote to repeal both the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs which have long outlived their original intent and facilitated endless war across the region.”
“A reckless Commander in Chief has led our nation to the threshold of yet another war without the approval of the United States Congress and the Americans we represent,” Kennedy said in a statement accompanying the letter.
“Immediately repealing the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs would force both the legislative and executive branch to clearly debate and define any mission we engage in overseas,” he added. “Our brave men and women in uniform, and all Americans, deserve nothing less.”
The strike that killed Soleimani caught lawmakers in both parties by surprise, with top members of Congress, including Pelosi, saying they were not briefed until after it happened.
Democrats, in particular, have expressed anger over the lack of consultation and concern about potential retaliation against U.S. forces and allies.