Senator Kaine Planning New Push on War Powers After Syria Strike

Kaine said he will introduce a resolution to repeal Iraq AUMFs

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) is planning a new push to repeal or revise congressional authorizations for the use of military force, an initiative sparked by President Biden’s Syria airstrikes.

Kaine said that this week he will likely introduce a bipartisan resolution to repeal the 2002 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) that the Bush administration used to invade Iraq and the AUMF used for the Gulf War in 1991.

“Congress doesn’t repeal these things. We pass them and they’re just floating out there to be used — they can be used in mischievous ways to justify actions long after the original crisis has passed,” Kaine said on Tuesday.

Kaine said Congress needs to reform the 2001 AUMF that was used for the war in Afghanistan and kicked off the War on Terror. The 2001 AUMF is now used for groups like ISIS that didn’t exist when it was passed.

The Virginia senator is also seeking to reform the 1974 War Powers Act that was created so Congress can challenge the executive branch’s unauthorized wars. “This instance shows us the War Powers Act of 1974 just isn’t enough in terms of requiring consultation,” he said of Biden’s Syria bombing.

Kaine said he was “not notified at all” about the Syria attack, and neither were “many of the people” in Congress who should have been consulted.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.