(Corrects day in first and third paragraphs.)
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer threw his weight on Wednesday behind an effort to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force that allowed the war in Iraq, citing it would prevent “military adventurism” such as former President Donald Trump’s 2020 airstrike on a Baghdad airport.
Schumer said he supported repeal legislation due for a vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, and planned a Senate vote sometime this year.
“(Repeal) will eliminate the danger of a future administration reaching back into the legal dustbin to use it as a justification for military adventurism,” Schumer said in remarks opening the Senate on Wednesday.
He noted that the 2002 AUMF was one of the justifications Trump used for a drone strike on a Baghdad airport that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. The attack raised fears of war during the last days of the Republican’s administration.
“There is no good reason to allow this legal authority to persist in case another reckless commander-in-chief tries the same trick in the future,” Schumer said.
President Joe Biden’s administration said on Monday it supported the repeal efforts, boosting lawmakers’ push to pull back the authority to declare war from the White House.
The U.S. Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress. However, that authority has gradually shifted to the president as Congress passed “forever war” AUMFs, which did not expire – such as the 2002 Iraq measure, and one allowing the fight against al Qaeda and affiliates after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
A few members of Congress have pushed for years to repeal the authorizations. The current House effort was led by Democrat Barbara Lee, the only member of Congress to oppose the 2001 AUMF.
“There is no good reason to allow this legal authority to persist in case another reckless commander in chief tries the same trick in the future,” Schumer said. (This story corrects day in first and third paragraphs)
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle)
