Dear Friends,

It is long past time for Congress to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq (2002 AUMF). The Biden Administration has expressed support for its repeal, and in June, the House of Representatives had bi-partisan support to include repeal of the 2002 AUMF in their version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have introduced a bi-partisan bill in the Senate to repeal the 2002 AUMF, though unfortunately it has not yet received a vote. The Senate still has a chance to include it in either final negotiations on the NDAA, as a stand-alone vote, or as part of a broader reconciliation package of legislation.

Write to your Senators to encourage them to support repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF.

Despite the obvious, that the 2002 Iraq AUMF is no longer needed since the U.S. mission in Iraq was ended in 2011, the potential for abusing it to perpetuate forever wars is ever-present. For example, the 2002 Iraq AUMF was used to justify the January 2020 targeted killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani under the Trump Administration. The Biden Administration has affirmed that it is not relying on the 2002 Iraq AUMF for any ongoing operations.

Contact your Senators today to encourage their support of repeal of the 2002 Iraq AUMF and their support for bringing it to a vote this year.

Sincerely,

Rev. Ron Stief
Executive Director