Representatives Chip Roy (R-TX-21) and Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-05), the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have reintroduced legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) related to Iraq.
The move aims to reclaim Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war and peace, addressing concerns that these outdated authorizations have been misused to justify prolonged military engagements without congressional oversight.
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The 1991 AUMF authorized military force during the Gulf War, while the 2002 AUMF paved the way for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Both measures remain on the books decades later despite significant changes in global dynamics and U.S. foreign policy objectives.
“For decades, Congress has completely abdicated its constitutional duty to deliberate on matters of war and peace,” said Rep. Chip Roy in a statement. “This dereliction of duty is a longstanding and bipartisan problem. Few of the legislators who passed these AUMFs are still in Congress, and many of them aren’t even alive anymore. Times have changed, and so have the mission and objectives of America’s foreign policy.”
Roy emphasized that repealing these authorizations is a critical step toward ending the cycle of endless wars and ensuring that future military actions are subject to rigorous congressional scrutiny. “We can’t stop the cycle of endless wars unless Congress is willing to step up and do its job,” he added.
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Ranking Member Gregory Meeks echoed these sentiments, highlighting the bipartisan support for repealing the outdated AUMFs. “Congress has long abdicated its constitutional authority over war and peace through open-ended AUMFs,” Meeks said. “The 1991 and 2002 Iraq war authorizations are obsolete, yet administrations of both parties have exploited them to bypass Congress. It is time to finish this work, pass this legislation, and finally reclaim Congress’s Article I war powers.”
The push to repeal the Iraq AUMFs is not new. Similar efforts in the 117th and 118th Congresses garnered significant bipartisan support, nearly passing both chambers. Advocates for repeal argue that the continued existence of these authorizations undermines the constitutional balance of power and contributes to a pattern of unchecked military intervention.
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The newly introduced bill, H.R. ll, seeks to formally repeal both the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. If passed, it would mark a significant shift in how the U.S. approaches military authorizations, requiring Congress to take a more active role in decisions about war and peace.
The legislation has reignited a broader debate about the role of Congress in foreign policy and the need for greater accountability in military decision-making.
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