Protect Democracy Supports the Outdated AUMF Repeal Act

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of House members delivered a strong statement about the need for war powers reform in just a two-page bill. Republican representative Mike Gallagher, along with Democratic representatives Abigail Spanberger and Jared Golden and Republican Peter Meijer, introduced the Outdated AUMF Repeal Act, which would immediately repeal three congressional authorizations for use of military force (AUMF) from 1957, 1991, and 2002.

“We are glad that there is a bipartisan effort to clean up outdated military authorities and start the process of returning war powers to Congress. First, the president does not need war powers that Congress approved for military conflicts that happened last century. Second, this legislation should not be necessary. AUMFs should have automatic sunsets, which would require Congress to regularly review and decide whether and how to reauthorize the use of military force,” said Soren Dayton of Protect Democracy.

“The Outdated AUMF Repeal Act sets the stage for broader war powers reform, which should help Congress reassert its authority over a constitutional function given expressly to the legislative branch.”

The three AUMFs that the bill would repeal are: The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002; The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, which sanctioned The Gulf War; and the joint resolution entitled “A joint resolution to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” which authorized the executive branch to provide military assistance to Middle East states facing “armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism.”

A link to the legislation is here.