WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) – As a mother of an Air Force veteran, Congresswoman Norma Torres says authorizing any military action is personal.
“I need to be able to tell parents that they are not going to die in vain,” Representative Norma Torres, D-California, said.
That’s partly why she says it’s time to rethink the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, known as AUMF, in Iraq.
“Here we are again with a president that is continuing to utilize that resolution to engage in a war that no American wants,” Torres said.
The 2002 AUMF was originally written to defend against a nuclear threat from Saddam Hussein, before the Iraq War.
But since then, both Presidents Obama and Trump have used it to justify military campaigns there.
“We are long overdue in returning that authority back to congress,” Torres said.
“We’ve worked for years and years and years to repeal the Authorization for the Use of Military Force,” Representative Barbara Lee, D-California said.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee put forth a measure to end the 2002 AUMF in December.
Lee says her measure does have bipartisan support but some Republicans say the timing isn’t right.
“The Authorization for Military Force should be looked at regularly, I would not politicize that by saying we should be looking at it right now,” Representative Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said.
Texas Republican Jodey Arrington says repealing the 2002 AUMF while we’re engaged in a conflict with Iran undermines President Trump’s authority.
“We’re hamstringing a president who is acting as a strong and responsible commander in chief right now,” Arrington said.
Still, Lee says she’ll continue to push for the change.
