Spanberger Statement on U.S. Senate Passage of 2002 & 1991 AUMF Repeal: “Bring This Legislation to the Floor of Our Chamber as Soon as Possible”

Last Month, the Congresswoman Co-Led the Introduction of the U.S. House Version of the Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate voted to pass legislation — which she helped introduce as a co-lead last month — to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs), formally ending the Gulf and Iraq Wars.

“Congress needs to demonstrate that we are serious about reclaiming our fundamental and constitutional authority to make decisions of war and peace. We cannot allow another generation of Americans to be sent to defend our country under authorities that were signed into law many decades ago.

“We must remove outdated and unused war authorities from the books. And — if necessary — we must take the consequential votes this responsibility requires of us. I’m grateful to my Senate colleagues — particularly my fellow Virginian Senator Kaine — for taking this step to fulfill our obligation as Members of Congress, and I urge House leadership to keep up the momentum and bring this legislation to the floor of our chamber for a vote as soon as possible.”

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The bipartisan, bicameral legislation was led in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN). Spanberger led the U.S. House introduction with U.S. Representatives Chip Roy (R-TX-21), Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), and Tom Cole (R-OK-04).

BACKGROUND

Since arriving in the U.S. House, Spanberger has sought to strongly reassert the constitutional role of Congress in authorizing the use of U.S. military force. In June 2021, Spanberger joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House in voting to repeal the 2002 Iraq War AUMF.

In March 2021, Spanberger co-led the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would help Congress reclaim its constitutional war powers by ending the 1957, 1991, and 2002 AUMFs — formally repealing the congressional authorizations for the Gulf and Iraq wars, as well as the Cold War-era authorization of force in the Middle East.

In May 2021, Spanberger also led the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would repeal the 1991 AUMF against Iraq, which a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House voted to pass in June 2021.

Click here to read a January 2020 op-ed Spanberger co-authored in the Washington Post alongside Republicans, Democrats, and an independent calling for Congress to reclaim its war-making authorities.

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