President Joe Biden has promised to sign the bill if presented to him, but it has yet to be approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which is uncertain.
The US Senate on Wednesday approved a bill removing executive branch powers to wage war in Iraq, 20 years after the US invaded that country to oust Saddam Hussein from power.
This text, which envisages repealing the so-called Authorization of the Use of Military Forces Act (AUMF) of 2002 that allowed George W. Bush to invade Iraq, and the AUMF of 1991 that allowed his father, George HW Bush , authorized to attack the Middle East country after Saddam Hussein’s troops invaded Kuwait, passed by a vote of 66 to 30.
“No impact” on US troops overseas
“The United States, Iraq, and the entire world have changed a lot since 2002, and it’s time our laws kept pace with those changes,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“These AUMFs have expired. The repeal (of these laws) will have no impact on our troops serving overseas or our ability to protect Americans,” he added.
To be promulgated by Joe Biden, the law must also be passed by the House of Representatives. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, recently asked on NBC about the likelihood of putting the text to a vote, remained evasive. “I need to see what’s inside first,” he said.
The 2002 AUMF was used to justify continued US operations in Iraq after the end of the war, such as retaliatory operations against pro-Iranian militias attacking bases where US soldiers are stationed.
She was notably cited to justify the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by the American army in Baghdad in 2020, ordered by Donald Trump.
On the other hand, the text voted on Wednesday, if promulgated, would not nullify the 2001 AUMF on Afghanistan, which gives the American executive branch sweeping powers to pursue al-Qaeda in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and other African countries.