Senate Approves Bill Repealing Authorization for Iraq War 20 Years After Invasion

The Senate approved legislation on Wednesday repealing the 2002 authorization for the use of force in Iraq, taking a key step toward closing one of the costliest chapters in US history, more than 20 years after the president George W. Bush decided to launch the invasion.

democrats some joined republicans in favor of repeal, a largely symbolic move that advocates say is designed to reassert Congress’s authority to declare war in the future. The bill also repealed the 1991 Gulf War authorization for the use of military force.

The Iraq War was a disastrous conflict that cost tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Its foundation was based on bad intelligence, and many legislators now believe the Bush administration lied to Congress and the public when it claimed that then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Presidents have also made extensive use of the 2002 authorization to wage war around the world. For example, president donald trumpThe Iranian administration cited him in 2020 to justify the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.

The debate over the authorization of the Iraq war divided the Republican Senate conference. Establishment Republican senators who voted to send the United States to war at the time, as well as those who are considered national security hawks, opposed its repeal on the grounds that it would further embolden Iran in the war. region.

“Our terrorist enemies are not ending their war against us. And when we deploy our service members in harm’s way, we must give them all the support and legal authorities we can,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement Tuesday.

Some senior Republicans continued to defend the decision to go to war in Iraq.

However, that view is not shared by the more recent arrivals of the Republican Party in Congress, reflecting a party shift under the former president. donald trump which is increasingly questioning US involvement abroad, including in Ukraine.

The legislation approved by the Senate on Wednesday leaves intact the sweeping 2001 authorization for the use of military force that every presidential administration since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has used to wage war in more than a dozen countries. An amendment offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) repealing that authorization received only nine votes.

An amendment offered by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) that would nullify future congressional authorizations for military force after two years, forcing another vote on the matter if necessary, garnered more support, 19 votes, but still failed to pass. adopted. . Notably, more Republicans voted for Lee’s amendment than the Democrats.

However, the odds of revoking the authorizations for the 2002 Iraq War and the 1991 Gulf War in the Republican-controlled House are less clear. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has not taken a position, but saying earlier this month that he believes the bill “has a clear chance to make it to the floor.”

House Republicans may decide to amend the legislation, which would require another vote in the Senate before going to President Joe Biden’s desk.

The White House has indicated that Biden would sign the bill if it reached his desk and that it would “have no impact on current US military operations,” according to a report. management policy statement.