[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          REPEAL THE 2001 AUMF

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask Speaker Ryan for a debate 
and a vote on our endless wars. It has been 16 years since Congress 
first passed the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. At that 
time, of course, I knew then it was going to be a blank check to 
encompass conflicts all around the globe, and I couldn't vote for it.
  It has been used for operations in Niger, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and 
many other countries. It has been used to justify the war against ISIS, 
which did not exist, of course, when this AUMF was first written.
  Simply put, the 2001 AUMF has become a blank check for any President 
to wage war, anytime, anywhere, anyplace, without the consent of 
Congress. In 2016, the Congressional Research Service documented 37 
times it had been used in an unclassified report. Now, in 2018, it has 
increased to 41 times.
  The Constitution is clear: Congress, not the White House, is tasked 
with the solemn responsibility to declare war.
  We have turned a blind eye to these conflicts. They have spiraled out 
of control. Today a bipartisan group of Members, the Progressive Caucus 
and the House Freedom Caucus, will be hosting an ad hoc hearing to 
demand a debate and vote on these ongoing wars.
  Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. We need to repeal the 2001 AUMF and, 
yes, give at least 8 months while the current one is in place to debate 
and vote on a new AUMF.

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