House Passes National Defense Authorization Act with AUMF Repeal
On Wednesday, the House moved forward by passing a version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This included a bipartisan amendment aimed at repealing two laws that authorize military force in Iraq.
The funding and military policy measures received votes ranging from 231 to 196. Interestingly, four Republicans opposed the bill, while 17 Democrats sided with the majority of GOP members.
The amendments concerning the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) were among nearly 20 added during the voting process. They effectively canceled the approvals for the 2002 Iraq War and the 1991 Gulf War, complicating the president’s ability to act unilaterally in military matters.
Lawmaker voting on withdrawing the AUMFs showed a tally of 261 in favor to 167 against. This reflects concerns about the President’s past use of AUMFs to wield military power without a formal war declaration. All Democrats supported the amendment, joined by 49 Republicans.
The AUMFs have been a go-to legal basis for military actions. For instance, President Trump utilized the 2002 AUMF to justify the January 2020 strike that killed Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani.
This vote followed a complaint initiated by Rep. Jim McGovern from Massachusetts, which garnered support from three members of the House Freedom Caucus, including Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.).
The last time the House passed the 2002 AUMF repeal was in 2021, but the Senate approved a bill revoking both the 2002 and 1991 authorizations earlier this year.
This AUMF proposal is among the most hotly debated changes within the NDAA, which has a total allocation of $892.6 billion. Additionally, it contains amendments aiming to restrict coverage of gender maintenance care provided by the Pentagon.
Earlier this week, some top House Democrats hinted that they might not support the bill if Republicans push for any contentious amendments.
Typically, these bills enjoy considerable bipartisan backing.
