The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved an amendment that, if passed into law, could end America’s perpetual war in the Middle East.
The amendment to the defense spending bill, proposed by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which authorized the United States to wage war against Al Qaeda and its affiliates. The AMUF was approved by Congress following theterrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It has since been used to carry out wars across the Middle East, including wars against the so-called Islamic State, without additional congressional approval. In total, the AUMF has been used 37 times to justify military action in 14 countries, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The committee’s approval of the Lee amendment was met with applause among those in attendance, according to the Hill.
A room full of "wow"s after @HouseAppropsGOP adopted this AUMF repeal amendment by @RepBarbaraLee pic.twitter.com/VxlvQn9d95
— Jennifer Scholtes (@JAscholtes) June 29, 2017
Lee’s amendment would repeal the AUMF 240 days after its passage, giving Congress time to pass another AUMF. However, it is not clear whether Congress would approve such an authorization. Nor is it certain that the Lee amendment will remain in the defense spending bill as it moves forward through Congress.
H/T the Hill