A group of Republican senators on Thursday introduced a bill to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that was passed in the wake of the September 11th attacks and is still being used to justify wars today.
The End Endless Wars Act was introduced by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), JD Vance (R-OH), and Mike Braun (R-IN). The legislation would repeal the 2001 AUMF 180 days after its enactment.
“If there exists any desire to reclaim our Constitutional power and send a message to the world that we are a nation of peace, Congress should pass this bill and repeal the 2001 Authorization for war. After all, the 2001 AUMF never intended to authorize worldwide war, all the time, everywhere, forever,” said Sen. Paul, according to a press release from his office.
Sen. Lee said the 2001 AUMF has “become one of the many instruments of misuse, and it is time for members of Congress to end this authority that keeps us in endless wars.” Sen. Braun said that no president should “have the authority to singlehandedly wage war” and called to “return this power to the people and repeal this authorization that has far outlived its’ purpose.”
The 2001 AUMF currently authorizes war in Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and several other countries. There’s been a push in Congress to repeal the 2002 AUMF that was used for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but that authorization is not used today, and repealing it won’t end any current wars.
In March, the Senate voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF and the 1991 AUMF used for the Gulf War. At the time, Sen. Paul attempted to include an amendment to the legislation to repeal the 2001 AUMF, but it failed in a vote of 9-86.
Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.