Friends, it may feel like there’s not as much to celebrate this year — but I want to take a moment to talk about a really meaningful win.
I’m proud to announce that the final version of this year’s defense bill — the National Defense Authorization Act — includes a provision I’ve worked on for years to repeal the Iraq war authorizations from 1991 and 2002.
Congress sometimes starts wars and then just leaves the authorizations on the books forever — zombie authorizations.
These zombie authorizations are dangerous, because any president who wants to bypass Congress and start a war can point back to them to justify their actions.
We saw President Trump do that during his first term and President Biden do it during his presidency, too. And the fact is, no matter the political party, it’s critical that any president come to Congress before starting a war — the Constitution is clear.
Repealing these zombie authorizations has been a goal of mine for many years now. Once signed by the President, these will be the first war authorizations that have been repealed since the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that deepened American involvement in the Vietnam War — which was repealed in the early 1970s.
Congress shouldn’t be about forever wars, and presidents shouldn’t be about unilateral wars.
I’ll continue to do all I can to make sure Congress continues to reclaim our Constitutional powers — both authorizing war, and ending war.
If you want to keep seeing wins in Congress — holding the president accountable, reclaiming congressional power, and fighting for the American people — please consider pitching in to my Common Ground PAC today to help elect leaders who get things done.
