Young, Kaine Applaud House Passage of Legislation to Formally End Iraq Wars

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives' overwhelming passage of legislation they have championed for years to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) against Iraq. The legislation was included in the House's passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs-which passed 34 and 23 years ago, respectively-authorized the use of military force for the Gulf and Iraq wars, but Congress across Administrations has failed to repeal these obsolete AUMFs to prevent their potential misuse.

"The Founding Fathers knew that decisions as important as whether or not to send servicemembers into harm's way should require careful deliberation and consensus. But for decades, Congress has ceded this constitutional responsibility," said Young and Kaine. "The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs are no longer necessary, and leaving them on the books carries risk of potential misuse. The House's overwhelming support for repealing these AUMFs is a critical step forward in reasserting Congress' role in decisions of war and peace, and keeping U.S. servicemembers safe. Since the Senate has previously voted to repeal these AUMFs with a strong bipartisan majority, we will do all we can to ensure that this provision is included in the version of the bill that goes to the President's desk."

The House voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs in June 2021. The Senate did so in March 2023, but because the votes did not occur during the same congressional session, the legislation did not become law.