ICYMI: House Votes to Time-Out the Authorization for Use of Military Force

  P.L. 107-40 , which delegated significant military authority to the executive.
P.L. 107-40 , which delegated significant military authority to the executive.

At The Week, Anthony L. Fisher reports:

“Last week, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) submitted an amendment into the House Appropriations Committee’s 2018 defense spending bill that would repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force within 240 days of the bill’s enactment. The one-page act ‘applies with respect to each operation or other action that is being carried out pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force initiated before such effective date.”

“This means that authorization to continue the generation-long war in Afghanistan, the routine drone strikes in places like Pakistan and Yemen, and the global battlefield that includes anywhere al Qaeda or its offshoot ISIS have set up shop, would revert to Congress rather than the president.

“Lee — who has previously proposed legislation to repeal the 2001 AUMF five times dating back to 2010 — introduced the amendment with no preceding hype but won over other members of the committee in short order, including Republicans and military veterans, with Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) saying, ‘This is something where Congress has collectively avoided taking responsibility for years.’ According to BuzzFeed, the amendment was passed via a voice vote ‘with a resounding chorus of ayes, and only one or two nays,’ which seemed to shock even Lee….

Read more at http://theweek.com/articles/709278/congress-finally-going-take-back-power-declare-war