Senators introduce new AUMF just days after Trump ordered Syria strike – By Diana Stancy Correll (washingtonexaminer.com) / April 16 2018
Lawmakers from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced new Authorization for the Use of Military Force legislation to replace current war authorizations from 2001 and 2002 that have not been revised since they were passed.
“There have been a number of efforts over the years to update these authorities, and while there is still work ahead, I am pleased that we have reached an agreement on a product for the committee to consider and that I hope will ultimately strike an appropriate balance of ensuring the administration has the flexibility necessary to win this fight while strengthening the rightful and necessary role of Congress,” Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the committee’s chairman, said in a statement Monday.
“I thank my colleagues for their leadership on this important issue and look forward to a healthy debate and amendment process in our committee next week,” he added.
The measure allows the president to use necessary force to combat al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic State, and other designated associated forces. However, it does not permit the president to take military action against a nation state.
The president then must inform Congress, who has a 60-day window to try to remove the president’s authority of military force if necessary.
Additionally, the legislation also required Congress to review the AUMF every four years. It requires the president to issue a plan to Congress to either repeal, modify, or keep the current AUMF. Should Congress fail to pass a new AUMF, the existing authority will continue.
The legislation also repeals AUMFs from 2001 and 2002 after the new AUMF has been implemented for 120 days.
“Our proposal finally repeals those authorizations and makes Congress do its job by weighing in on where, where, and with who we are at war,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA, said a statement. “This is personal to me as the father of a Marine and someone who represents a state so closely connected to the military.
Congress has painstakingly avoided this debate for years because war votes aren’t easy. But if we’re going to ask our troops to risk their lives in support of a mission, then we need to at least have the courage to show we are behind them.”
The legislation’s introduction comes after President Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. had launched a military strike against Syria in response to the chemical attacks carried out against civilians in Syria earlier this month.
Although Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had said before the strike that the current AUMF would cover military action against Syria, but some Democrats including Kaine and others have pushed back.
Earlier Monday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress must pass a new AUMF before Trump chooses to “escalate” military action in Syria. She also requested an intelligence briefing concerning Trump’s strategy with Syria.
“If the president plans to escalate militarily in Syria, he must come to the Congress to ask for an Authorization for Use of Military Force,” Pelosi said Monday. “The Congress has a solemn responsibility to debate an AUMF. The American people deserve a comprehensive strategy that will keep our military safe and avoid collateral damage.”
