Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate voted to repeal both the 1991 and 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq:
“Our Constitution is clear—only the United States Congress has the power to declare war. For too long, Congress has abdicated this most serious of responsibilities. Administrations of both parties have used AUMFs on the books to justify military action without returning to Congress, and Congress has been happy to sit idly by and avoid taking hard votes. Today that changes—we are finally one step closer to terminating two outdated Authorizations for Use of Military Force related to Iraq. As one of only 23 Senators to vote against one of those – the 2002 Iraq War authorization – it is long overdue that we meet our responsibility on this most solemn Congressional responsibility.”
In 2021, Durbin introduced the Accountability for Endless Wars Act of 2021—to terminate authorizations for AUMFs and declarations of war no later than 10 years after the enactment of such authorizations or declarations. He will reintroduce the legislation in this Congress later this month.
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