U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to unveil a bill that would establish limits on the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
“The legislation brings back to Congress the authority to deploy forces and declare war,” Rep. Cole said. “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this important legislation.”
Rep. Cole is one of eight original cosponsors who on July 9 introduced the Limit on the Expansion of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Act, H.R. 7500, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) to limit any further expansion of the AUMF. U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) also signed on as an original cosponsor of the bill.
For nearly two decades, the 2001 AUMF — passed in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States — has been used by three presidents as the legal justification for the deployment of American servicemembers into new countries, each time without a debate or vote in Congress, according to information provided by Rep. Cole’s office.
If enacted, H.R. 7500 would limit the existing AUMF to countries with ongoing hostilities, according to the information, which notes that in the event a president acts to defend the United States in a country where it is not currently operating, the executive branch would be required to seek congressional approval under the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
“As granted by the Constitution of the United States, the authority to declare war resides with Congress and Congress alone,” said Rep. Cole. “This bill is neither an attempt to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force nor meant to be a statement on current or previous U.S. military actions.”
Rep. Brown pointed out that Congress for too long has abdicated its constitutional responsibilities. “We will continue to counter ISIS, international terrorism, and other national security threats, but we cannot do so with a nearly two decades old authorization that doesn’t recognize the current landscape,” he said.
“The Constitution is clear,” added Rep. Bacon. “If it’s important enough to put our men and women in harm’s way for months and years at a time, then members of Congress need to go on the record with a vote.”