The Senate is set to pass a bipartisan bill repealing the authorizations for the Gulf War in 1991 and the Iraq War in 2002, but not the post-9/11 measure. The White House has said President Joe Biden would sign the legislation if it comes to his desk. While the measure is expected to pass the Democratic-led Senate, its fate in the GOP-led House is less clear. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced on Tuesday that he did not support the AUMF repeals.
Congress is set to debate and vote on a bill repealing the authority given to President George W. Bush to use force against Iraq in 2002. The move is aimed at reasserting more control on the war-making decisions of the executive branch. The repeal bill would apply only to the later resolution aimed specifically at Iraq and a 1991 AUMF concerning Iraq's invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait. The last time Congress repealed a similar resolution was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964, which had allowed then-President Lyndon Johnson to escalate the conflict in Vietnam.
An American contractor was killed and six others were wounded in a drone attack on a coalition military base in Syria, prompting the US to launch retaliatory airstrikes on facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The airstrikes killed eight pro-Iranian fighters. The US maintains a presence in Syria to apply pressure to the remnants of the Islamic State militant group and to try to limit Iran's influence in Syria. The US Congress is currently considering repealing bills that allowed for the use of force against Iraq's government during the Iraq War and the 2001 AUMF that has been stretched to allow the US to target militant groups in Syria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and beyond.
The Senate has voted 68-27 to advance a bill that would repeal the 2002 Iraq war authorization and the 1991 Gulf War authorization. The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who argue formally ending the two Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs) would send a message of support to Iraq, now a strategic partner in the Middle East. If the Senate bill passes, the House will have to take it up. Similar bipartisan legislation was introduced in the lower chamber earlier this year.
