Veterans group calls for repeal of decades-old Iraq war powers and Congress restoring its role in matters of war and peace
ARLINGTON, Va.—Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) on Wednesday urged Senators to support an amendment (S.A. 4133) to the National Defense Authorization Act from Sen. Tim Kaine, which would repeal the outdated 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
Russ Duerstine, CVA’s Deputy Director, had this to say about the measure:
“These authorizations have been used to justify military actions far removed from their original intents. To put it simply, outdated war powers should never cost the lives of thousands of American troops and trillions in American taxpayer dollars.
It’s past time for Congress to fulfill its constitutional duty in matters of where, when, and why we send American troops to sacrifice in defense of our country — and passing Sen. Kaine’s amendment is a good step in that direction.”
A repeal of these obsolete AUMFs will remove the ability for any continued abuse of the authorizations, begin to restore Congress’ role in matters of war and peace, and force more Congressional debate over when, if, and, most importantly, why we send American troops into harm’s way.
BACKGROUND
CVA has been working to repeal outdated AUMFs for years, making it a priority for its grassroots and advocacy efforts in its annual policy agendas (2019, 2020, 2021).
In March, CVA led a coalition in sending a letter to members of Congress urging support of a bipartisan resolution introduced by Sens. Kaine and Young to repeal the 1991 & 2002 AUMFs, which S.A. 4133 replicates. The group was joined on the letter by Defense Priorities Initiative, FreedomWorks, and the R Street institute.
CVA has been staunch in its support of lawmakers who have taken a principled stand and worked to repeal these measures in the past. In 2019, CVA welcomed the addition of the bipartisan War Powers Caucus to Congress, applauding lawmakers for prioritizing the issue. CVA also launched a digital ad campaign thanking lawmakers for standing against endless war, praising lawmakers for voting to ensure proper Congressional input before any offensive military force against Iran.
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