[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S755-S756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                Authorization for Use of Military Force

  Mr. President, now, later today, I will take the first procedural 
steps to take up legislation repealing the Iraq AUMFs of 1991 and 2002.

[[Page S756]]

  After a lot of hard work from Senators Kaine and Young, as well as 
Chairman Menendez and Ranking Member Risch, this is the week the Senate 
will begin the process to end the legal authority that started the Iraq 
war two decades ago.
  Every year we keep these AUMFs on the books, and every year we keep 
them on the books is another chance for future administrations to abuse 
or misuse them. War powers belong in the hands of Congress, and that 
means we have a responsibility to prevent future Presidents from 
exploiting these AUMFs to bumble us into a new Middle East conflict.
  Americans are tired of endless wars in the Middle East, and we owe it 
to them and to our veterans and their families to repeal the Iraq war 
AUMF.
  So thank you--thank you--to the members of the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee for their work, especially Chairman Menendez and 
Ranking Member Risch, and thank you again to Senators Kaine and Young 
for their work spearheading this legislation.
  The Iraq war has formally been over for more than 10 years. The 
reality on the ground has long since changed. So the laws on the books 
must change too. Repealing this AUMF will in no way hinder our national 
defense, and it represents a positive step forward in our relationship 
with the Iraqi Government.
  I am pleased this effort has been thoroughly bipartisan. President 
Biden has voiced his support for the measure. The House passed a 
similar bill a few years ago with strong support from both Democrats 
and Republicans. Here in the Senate, the bill was reported out of 
committee with a 13-to-8 vote. So I thank my colleagues on both sides 
for allowing this bill to proceed.