House passes repeal of 2002 military authorization for Iraq war

Lawmakers voted, 268-161, to pass the bill to terminate the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force. Forty-nine Republicans voted to repeal.

Republicans opposing the bill argued the Biden administration was wrong to say it no longer needed the 2002 authorization to legally undergird ongoing U.S. military operations in Iraq, which are principally focused on countering any resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs panel, argued that even as he generally supported the repeal of the “outdated” 2002 authorization, it needed to happen simultaneously with the passage of an updated counterterrorism-focused authorization that would cover U.S. military actions in Iraq.

For example, Iran-supported Shiite militias in Iraq still carry out sporadic attacks on U.S. troops there, but a U.S. response to that threat is not legally covered by the 2001 AUMF, as those militant groups have no connection to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and al-Qaida, McCaul asserted.

“War should not be on autopilot,” McCaul said

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