[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORT FOR THE LEE OF CALIFORNIA HOUSE AMENDMENT TO SENATE AMENDMENT 
  TO H.R. 550--TO REPEAL THE AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE 
                    AGAINST IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2002

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                            HON. DENNY HECK

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 10, 2020

  Mr. HECK. Madam Speaker, authorizing military force is the most 
sobering responsibility Congress has.
  Washington's 10th District includes Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where 
over 40,000 servicemembers are stationed. I am very aware that every 
decision I make can affect their lives and the lives of their families. 
I take that responsibility very seriously.
  In 2001, Congress passed an Authorization for the Use of Military 
Force only three days after the September 11th attacks. Because the 
country was still trying to determine exactly how we had been attacked, 
that AUMF was written broadly. In the time since, the 2001 AUMF has 
been used dozens of times to justify military action.
  Subsequently, Congress passed another AUMF in 2002, which authorized 
military action in Iraq. President Trump cited the 2002 AUMF as 
justification for his decision to kill Qassem Soleimani in early 
January, more than 17 years after the AUMF's passage.
  I have advocated for the end of the 2002 AUMF since 2014, during my 
first term in Congress. But it was only when I joined the House 
Intelligence Committee last Congress that I fully appreciated the scope 
and scale of our missions around the world.
  I would have joined my colleagues in voting to repeal the 2002 AUMF, 
and I was proud to cosponsor the underlying resolution. I strongly 
believe that Congress must reassert its role in decisions of when to 
use military force. The 2002 AUMF has been used to justify military 
action that had not been contemplated by Congress. By repealing it, 
Congress will bring grave decisions about war and military action 
closer to the people whose lives will be altered by them. I am glad the 
House voted for such an outcome.

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