Politics

House Passes Two Bills Aimed at Limiting Trumps War Powers in Iran

The House of Representatives passed two bills on Thursday aimed at curbing President Donald Trumps w..

Published

January 31, 2020

The House of Representatives passed two bills on Thursday aimed at curbing President Donald Trumps war powers.

One measure would block funding for any use of military force in or against Iran unless Congress declares war while the other would repeal the 2002 Congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq.

“For far too long, Congress has been missing in action on matters of war and peace—but today, we took a historic step to reassert our Constitutional authority and stop our endless wars by voting to repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who sponsored the second bill (pdf), said in a statement after the vote.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who introduced the other bill, said that it sent a clear message of “no more unconstitutional wars.”

“The American government has spent trillions of taxpayer dollars fighting endless wars across the Middle East. Today, Congress passed two historic pieces of legislation to reassert our authority over matters of war and peace,” he said in a statement.

Khanna sponsored legislation that passed the House in 2019 but was left out of the final version of the military funding bill that was passed just before Christmas. Lee also introduced an amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF in 2019.

The 2002 AUMF and a similar authorization passed the year prior in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks have long been targeted by some lawmakers. A top Trump administration official said the U.S. airstrike that took out Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in December 2019 was done legally under the authorization of military force.

Khannas bill passed 228-175 and Lees resolution passed 236-166. Both earned support from some Republicans, though several who voted for at least one piece last year flipped to vote against a resolution or two this time around, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).

“I welcome a debate in the U.S. House in which we consider the formal end of the 2002 AUMF regarding Iraq. That is why I voted today in favor of a formal repeal to the 02 AUMF,” Roy said in a statement.

“I could not, however, vote for the No Wars Against Iran Act. The timing is not right, given that our bases are taking fire from Iran and its proxies.”