US legislators declare an end to the Iraq wars

The US Senate has voted to repeal the congressional authorizations for Washington’s 1991 and 2003 invasions of Iraq, which were illegal under the UN Charter. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said that keeping the authorizations in force creates the risk that a future administration will abuse them to circumvent congressional authority over war powers. Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, said a broad coalition of House members backs the bill, which will next need to pass in the House of Representatives before going to President Joe Biden’s desk for enactment. Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, argued that by keeping the AUMF in place, Congress was keeping the door open for “war everywhere, all the time.” The White House has said Biden supports ending the AUMFs.