Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3261, to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, authored by Representative Spanberger. Less than two weeks ago, this body voted for a bill to repeal the 2002 AUMF, nearly two decades after it was originally passed. By not repealing an AUMF and allowing it to remain long after it has served its purpose, we open the door for future administrations of either party to abuse that authority and stretch the authorization far beyond its original purpose. {time} 1530 By failing to remove outdated authorities, Congress cedes its Article I authority to the executive branch. This is contrary to the design of our Constitution, Mr. Speaker, which gives Congress the power to make decisions on matters of war and peace. Today, we debate a bill that would repeal an Authorization for Use of Military Force older than the 2002 AUMF. H.R. 3261 repeals the 1991 AUMF that authorized the use of the United States Armed Forces pursuant to the United Nations Security Council resolution, which was issued in the wake of Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Yet, the 1991 AUMF remains in statute, in the United States Code, even though our military liberated Kuwait and completed its limited mission there three decades ago. By voting this legislation out of the House, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to reclaiming our authority over war powers.…”