US Senate advances bill to repeal Iraq war authorizations
The procedural vote in the US Senate coincides with the approaching 20th anniversary of the Iraq invasion.
WASHINGTON — The US Senate voted Wednesday to advance bipartisan legislation that would scrap a pair of decades-old Iraq war authorizations that gave US presidents open-ended justification for the use of military force in Iraq.
The effort comes nearly 20 years after the United States launched its “shock and awe” invasion of Iraq to overthrow the country’s dictator, Saddam Hussein.
The bill would terminate both the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq and the 1991 authorization for the Gulf War. Supporters of repealing the AUMFs argued they had no longer had any operational use and would not impact ongoing operations in Iraq, where US forces are assisting Iraqi counterparts in their fight against the remnants of the Islamic State. Critics of repealing the AUMFs say doing so would send the wrong message to Iran and its proxies in Iraq.
The bill, which is sponsored by senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), cleared the upper chamber by a vote of 68-27. Its final passage in the US Senate is expected next week.
