1. #1

    House votes 366-46 to repeals older 1991,1957 AUMF or Presidential military control

    The House on Tuesday voted to repeal a pair of decades-old war authorizations related to the Middle East amid a broader debate over presidential war powers.

    As part of a package of seven bills considered to be uncontroversial, the House voted 366-46 to repeal the 1991 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) that greenlit the Gulf War in Iraq, as well as a 1957 resolution that provided broad authorization for military action in the Middle East to protect against “armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism.”

    The "no" votes came entirely from Republicans.

    The vote comes a couple weeks after the House voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF that authorized the Iraq War. It also comes days after President Biden ordered fresh airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iranian-back militia that have reignited war powers debates among lawmakers.

    Biden did not cite an AUMF as his legal authority for Sunday’s strikes, nor did he do so for similar strikes in February.

    But proponents of repealing the aging war authorizations argue they must be taken off the books or else risk being abused by the executive branch.

    “By not repealing an AUMF and allowing it to remain long after it has served this purpose, we open the door for future administrations of either party to abuse that authority and stretch the authorization far beyond its original purpose,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said Monday during floor debate on the bills approved Tuesday.

    But unlike the repeal of the 2002 AUMF -- which was a mostly partisan vote -- repealing the 1991 and 1957 laws were seen as non-controversial.

    Both the 1991 and 1957 repeal were on the House’s “suspension” calendar, which is reserved for bills that can pass by voice vote or at least a two-thirds majority in a roll call vote.

    “The specific point of this law was accomplished,” House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said of the 1991 AUMF. “Therefore there's no reason to leave it on the books. It is, in that sense, very different from the 2002 Iraq AUMF.”

    On the 1957 resolution, McCaul called it an “unused relic of the Cold War,” adding with a chuckle that he “wasn’t even born when this one was enacted -- just barely though.”

    Republicans argue repealing the 2002 law could hamstring counterterrorism missions, though the main authorization for those operations is the 2001 AUMF.

    The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to consider a bill in July that would repeal both the 2002 and 1991 AUMFs.

    The panel had originally been expected to consider the bill this month, but delayed the markup at the request of Republicans who demanded a briefing from the administration before voting on repealing the 2002 authorization.
    So the House just voted to repeal the 1991 and 1957 Authorization for the use of Military Force or AUMF. The Founders of the U.S. drafted in the Constitution that the power of the U.S. government be split among the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches and that while the Executive Branch is leader of the U.S. military only the Legislative branch could officially declare war. Since, if I am not mistaken, after WWII the Legislative branch began ceding more and more power to the Executive branch especially in terms of military action. This goes against what the Founders envisioned for the U.S. government and one person having so much power. I would be for Congress taking back the power to declare war or military actions from the President. Ever since WWII both Republican and Democratic lead administrations have abused that power to put the U.S. in draining almost always losing wars for not only the U.S. but also the whole world. Korea was at best slightly in our favor stalemate while Vietnam was a horribly demoralizing defeat for the U.S., the U.S. actions during the entirety of the Cold War has completely fucked over Central and South America along with the Middle East, and finally the U.S.'s constant wars or military actions in the Middle East from the 90's through today Gulf War, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq(again), Syria, etc... So Congress needs to reel back in control for declaring war and military actions from the Executive branch.

    Now I know reading the article this is only repealing outdated AUMF that are not used anymore and that the current 2002 AUMF gives Executive branch all the power it needs to perform "counter terrorism" leading to our near 2 decade long war. Congress needs to take back it's power so that only a single branch with limited oversight can't keep taking us into more military operations we don't need.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5...authorizations

  2. #2
    While we are at it... Please can we kill the Patriot Act entirely?

    And disband the DHS too?

  3. #3
    The Undying Breccia's Avatar
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    Oh, thank God.

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    Merely a Setback PACOX's Avatar
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    This battle has been going on in various forms but a certain party keeps blocking any real efforts.

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    The Undying Cthulhu 2020's Avatar
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    This is my surprised face that the no votes came from the party of trump, who continuously loved to call dems warmongers.
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    The Undying Cthulhu 2020's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vegas82 View Post
    You think the Dems have 366 seats?
    No. But unless my eyes aren't working, it said the votes against this were all republicans.

    I could go look it up but I wouldn't be surprised If the no votes came from the most ardent trump supporters.
    2014 Gamergate: "If you want games without hyper sexualized female characters and representation, then learn to code!"
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  7. #7
    Merely a Setback Sunseeker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pathora44 View Post
    Now I know reading the article this is only repealing outdated AUMF that are not used anymore and that the current 2002 AUMF gives Executive branch all the power it needs to perform "counter terrorism" leading to our near 2 decade long war. Congress needs to take back it's power so that only a single branch with limited oversight can't keep taking us into more military operations we don't need.
    Yeah....but the POTUS already has the ability to single-handedly do that, and has for a very long time...they just have to ask for approval afte 60 days (or some limited number). And it makes sense for POTUS to have that power.

    This really isn't Congress taking back power. It's like some podunk city repealing a law saying you can't cross a street walking on your hands. The events are long since past, noone cares (apparently 36 Republicans do, but noone cares about them), and leaving them in place or repealing them has no impact on anything at all.

    The issue is that Congress (all of them, Dems, Repubs, etc...) gets all caught up in the military worship that's overtaken the country, and votes in favor of allowing Executive declarations to turn into fully-authorized wars. I mean, I can't think of a time where they didn't. The Republicans will do whatever a Republican President wants, and they don't want to look weak on "the bad guys" even if a Democrat President set things off. The Democrats are too spineless to stand up and all too happy to support their own guy just like Republicans.

    So yeah, tell them all to grow a spine and stop sucking the military-industrial-cock and then we'll get some progress. Bullshit gestures like this are just that: bullshit.
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  8. #8
    Merely a Setback PACOX's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vegas82 View Post
    You think the Dems have 366 seats?
    Republicans supported while Trump was in office. Doesn't mean that the rest won't block it.

    Resident Cosplay Progressive

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Cthulhu 2020 View Post
    No. But unless my eyes aren't working, it said the votes against this were all republicans.

    I could go look it up but I wouldn't be surprised If the no votes came from the most ardent trump supporters.
    Article says "The "no" votes came entirely from Republicans." That does not mean "ALL" republicans. It just means the small minority that voted "No" happened to be a minority of republicans.

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