The Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is endorsing a move in Congress to update the nearly two-decade-old mandates allowing presidents to take military action.
Washington state Rep. Adam Smith issued a statement in support Tuesday after the Biden White House late last week said it was open to revising the “Authorizations for the Use of Military Force” passed in 2001 and 2002.
Lawmakers have complained that presidents of both parties have used the AUMFs crafted shortly after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 to justify military missions far beyond targeting the al Qaeda network and the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
“Much has changed since the initial passage of the 2002 AUMF, namely the democratic Iraqi government is now our partner in our counterterrorism mission,” Mr. Smith said in the statement. “Given that the 2002 AUMF was passed to authorize the Iraqi war, and because circumstances in the region have changed so significantly over the past 19 years, this authorization should be repealed.”
“It’s not enough to just repeal the 2002 AUMF,” Mr. Smith added. “Serious reforms to the 2001 AUMF are also required, and I look forward to working on substantive changes with my colleagues in Congress.
But despite longstanding unhappiness with the current military force authorizations, Congress has been unwilling or unable to agree on language for a new AUMF, leaving the current ones in place.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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