WASHINGTON – The U.S. House passed legislation on Thursday that would end a president’s authority to use military force in Iraq. While that war wound down years ago, the legislation is a major step toward Congress taking back war powers from the executive branch.

The resolution passed with bipartisan support within the larger U.S. House and among Texans. All Texas Democratic members backed the bill, along with five Republicans: U.S. House Reps. Michael Burgess of Lewisville, Michael Cloud of Victoria, Lance Gooden of Terrell, Louie Gohmert of Tyler and Chip Roy of Austin.

All other Texas Republicans voted against the bill.

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the George W. Bush administration pushed Congress to grant him the authority to use the U.S. military in places like Afghanistan in order to hunt down the culprits.

In 2002, the Bush administration shifted focus to Iraq, arguing in a sustained media campaign that the country’s then-dictator, Saddam Hussein, was housing weapons of mass destruction. Both the House and the Senate authorized Bush in an overwhelming and bipartisan vote to use force in Iraq after the Bush administration.

After the 2003 American invasion, those charges proved false and many members of Congress publicly expressed regret for that vote.

But in a larger scheme, presidents from both parties have used war powers legislation from that era to take actions that were not part of the original intent. Members of Congress, who were hesitant to take responsibility for potential future foreign policy mistakes, rarely objected.

This vote, however, indicates that this is the first step in the legislative branch reasserting itself on foreign policy.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer indicated that his chamber is expected to take up the legislation next week. At the same time, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voiced his opposition to repealing the authorization of force.

“Reality is more complicated, more dangerous and less politically convenient than it’s supporters believe,” McConnell said, according to Politico. He went on to call the action “reckless.”

A White House statement released earlier this week backed the bill. President Joe Biden voted for the initial authorization in 2003.

“The Administration supports the repeal of the 2002 [Authorization of Military Force], as the United States has no ongoing military activities that rely solely on the 2002 AUMF as a domestic legal basis, and repeal of the 2002 AUMF would likely have minimal impact on current military operations,” it stated.

“Furthermore, the President is committed to working with the Congress to ensure that outdated authorizations for the use of military force are replaced with a narrow and specific framework appropriate to ensure that we can continue to protect Americans from terrorist threats.”

This article was written by ABBY LIVINGSTON of The Texas Tribune.  The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.  This article originally appeared at: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/17/texas-congress-vote-authorization-military-force-iraq/

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