July, 12 2019, 12:00am EDT
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds the House's Historic Vote to Repeal the 2002 Iraq Authorization for the Use of Military Force
Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force:
"Congress took a historic step today to stop our endless wars. The House just passed my amendment to repeal the outdated 2002 Iraq Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) - seventeen years after it was first passed.
"Intended to address the perceived threat posed by the regime of Saddam Hussein, the 2002 AUMF no longer serves any operational purpose.
WASHINGTON
Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force:
"Congress took a historic step today to stop our endless wars. The House just passed my amendment to repeal the outdated 2002 Iraq Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) - seventeen years after it was first passed.
"Intended to address the perceived threat posed by the regime of Saddam Hussein, the 2002 AUMF no longer serves any operational purpose.
"Congress has the constitutional duty to declare war and authorize the use of force, and part of that is the responsibility to remove this unnecessary and outdated authorization. I'm glad Congress took this step to help restore our constitutional obligation to do our job when it comes to matters of authorizing war. It is far past time we remove this unnecessary and outdated authorization."
The amendment was cosponsored by Representatives Adam B. Schiff, Eliot Engel, Jason Crow, John Lewis, Seth Moulton, and Max Rose.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a Democrat, represents the 13th District in California.
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Civil liberties defenders on Thursday decried the U.S. Senate's advancement of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, which critics say lawmakers are trying to ram through without protection against warrantless surveillance and with a provision that would effectively make every American a spy whether they like it or not.
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