Schumer Supports Repealing U.S. Authorization for War in Iraq

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced he supports repealing the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Iraq, the first time he has expressed support for repealing the authorization.

Schumer said repealing the authorization “will eliminate the danger of a future administration reaching back into the legal dust bin to use it as a justification for military adventurism.”

“At the beginning of last year, we saw that danger become frightfully real when President Trump ordered an air strike against an Iranian target in Iraq without transparency, without proper notification to Congress, and without a clear strategy,” he continued.

The White House, under former President Donald Trump, argued that the January 3, 2020 strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was justified, citing the 2002 AUMF.

“Although the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime was the initial focus of the statute, the United States has long relied upon the 2002 AUMF to authorize the use of force for the purpose of establishing a stable, democratic Iraq and addressing terrorist threats emanating from Iraq,” a White House notice read.

Critics of the 2002 AUMF say it has given the United States far too much authority to deploy its military around the world. The House will vote on a measure to repeal the AUMF tomorrow; the White House has issued a statement supporting the repeal.