(WASHINGTON D.C., 3/22/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on congressional leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to fully repeal all three Authorization for Use for Military Force (AUMF) acts that respectively were used to invade Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, Afghanistan in 2001, and Iraq again in 2003.
Now a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate are working to repeal the 1991 and 2002 war powers acts that made the invasion of Iraq possible and were used by the last administration to justify the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq. CAIR notes that in 2021 the House voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF, however the Senate did not approve the bill.
In a statement, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw said:
“We are calling on Congress to fully repeal the 1991, 2001 and 2003 Authorizations for Use of Military Force and to reject any replacement legislation that would lead to a never-ending ‘war on terror.’ Repealing the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs is just not enough.
“These AUMFs have been used to justify endless wars, military interventions, and drone strikes across the globe, resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and countless more injuries, displacements, and destruction in at least 19 countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Congress should take a bold and courageous step towards ending this destructive cycle and to work towards a foreign policy that is based on diplomacy, human rights, and justice.”
Background
On March 16, the Senate voted 68-27 in favor of advancing Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs to coincide with the 20 anniversary of the most recent U.S. invasion of Iraq. While a vote to pass the legislation was expected to take place last night it was delayed and now expected to take place this or next week. A version of the bill is expected to pass the Senate.
Yesterday, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) filed an amendment yesterday that would repeal the 2001 AUMF.
The 2001 AUMF has been used by four presidents to authorize counterterrorism operations in at least 19 countries, including Iraq, contributing to America’s decades long “forever wars.”
While CAIR supports Senator Paul’s amendment, it remains to be seen whether the Senate will take up the much-needed 2001 war powers repeal.
In the House, Representatives Barbra Lee (D-CA) and Chip Roy (R-TX), along with bipartisan support, have introduced a companion bill to the Senate’s 1991 and 2002 AUMF repeal measure.
While Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) supports the eventual repeal of these two Iraq focused war power resolutions he has been quoted by The Hill saying, “I still want to take actions if there are terrorists anywhere around the world. If we’re keeping that one AUMF and removing another one, that’s personally where I am.” That is in reference to keeping and not repealing the 2001 AUMF.
It remains to be seen whether Representatives Lee and Roy’s bill will be taken up by the House Armed Services Committee or another standalone bill will be considered as during this year’s National Defense Authorization Act markup, the annual spending bill that funds the U.S. military and defense programs.
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La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com