House Will Vote on Bill to End 2002 Iraq War Authorization: Pelosi

The House of Representatives will vote on a bill to end the 2002 resolution that gave the Pentagon authority to wage war in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Thursday.

Pelosi said earlier in the week that the House might vote on the bill, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif), which would repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).

“We will have that resolution coming up soon under the leadership of congresswoman Barbara Lee,” Pelosi said on Thursday.

Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against the AUMF.

Pelosis confirmation of a vote soon on the resolution came during a press conference held just before the House began debating passing a non-binding war powers resolution that directed President Donald Trump to stop using U.S. armed forces to fight Iran unless authorized by Congress.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), was expected to pass the Democrat-controlled House. But the measure is nonbinding, meaning it wont become law and Trump wont have an opportunity to sign or veto it.

Pelosi told reporters she did not want to give Trump the chance to veto Slotkins resolution.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), left, speaks during a press conference in Washington on Nov. 19, 2019. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

The site where top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed along with eight others in a U.S. strike in Baghdad, Iraq, is seen the day after on Jan. 4, 2020. (Ali Choukier/AFP via Getty Images)

“Were taking this path because it does not require a signature of the president,” she said. “This is a statement of the Congress of the United States, and I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the president will veto it or not.”

In addition to the resolutions from Slotkin and Lee, the House was considering whether to bring a measure introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would mandate the Pentagon not use military funds for actions against Iran without congressional approval.

The 2002 AUMF and a similar authorization passed in 2001 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 last week was done legally under the authorization of military force.

“The president exercised Americas clear and inherent right of self-defense to counter this threat. It was a fully authorized action under the 2002 AUMF and was consistent with hRead More – Source
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The Epoch Times

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