Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office issued the following:
November 13, 2019
A New Report Reveals that Since Military Interventions Began in 2001, an Estimated 27,000 American and Allied Lives Have Been Lost -- With A Total Human Toll of Over Half a Million Lives -- and that the Costs for War for the United States Will Reach an Estimated $6.4 Trillion; Gillibrand: After Nearly Two Decades of War with No Clear End in Sight, Congress Must Finally Show Leadership in U.S. Foreign Policy
Washington, DC
– U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Senate
Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, today introduced the War Powers Reform Resolution,
new landmark legislation that would restore Congress's leadership in
the nation’s foreign policy and finally put an end to unauthorized
forever wars. In 2001 and 2002, Congress passed Authorizations for the
Use of Military Force (AUMFs) to authorize military action,
respectively, against September 11th terrorists hiding in Afghanistan
and the perceived threat from Iraq. Since then, successive presidents
have unilaterally used these AUMFs to justify almost two decades of
military operations against new adversaries, in different countries, and
without a defined end. The 2001 and 2002 AUMFs were never intended to
be a blank check for the use of military force, and their expanded use
has eroded Congress’s ability to serve as a check on the president’s
military authority.
Gillibrand’s War Powers Reform Resolution would amend the War Powers Resolution to
ensure no AUMF is used to continue perpetual wars that compromise the
country’s national security. In order to deploy armed forces into
hostilities, the legislation would require the president to provide
Congress with a clear objective for military action; evidence that the
use of the United States’ armed forces is necessary, appropriate, and
proportional to the mission; a finite list of adversaries; and the names
of the countries where the US military will deploy. Critically, the
legislation would place a two-year limit on any future authorization,
and deny appropriations for unauthorized wars. It would also repeal the
2001 and 2002 AUMFs.
“For
nearly two decades, Congress has yielded its Constitutional authority
to declare war to the presidency. What started as a mission to defeat Al
Qaeda in Afghanistan and the perceived threat in Iraq has expanded to
18 years of war in multiple countries, with hundreds of thousands of
lives lost, and trillions of dollars spent. Ambiguous wars with no clear
end in sight undermine our national security,” said Senator Gillibrand, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee.
“The Constitution makes it clear that presidents do not have the
unilateral authority to send our service members into harm’s way without
explicit Congressional authorization, and I’m introducing the War
Powers Reform Resolution so Congress can take back this responsibility.
My legislation would set clear and defined goals for the use of military
force abroad, place a limit to how long, where, and against whom we can
continue military action without a new authorization, and finally put a
stop to endless wars and prevent them in the future.”
A study released today by the Watson Institute at Brown University reveals that more than 27,000 American and allied lives have been lost
since U.S. military interventions began in 2001. The study estimates
that the total human toll of these wars – including Americans, allies,
and civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq – has reached over 500,000 lives lost.
These figures leave uncounted the many individuals who have died
indirectly from these wars due to water loss, lack of infrastructure,
and war-related disease, or those who have died in Yemen and other
places where these wars have metastasized. Additionally, the Watson
Institute’s study also estimates that the United States has spent approximately $5.4 trillion on wars since 2001, with a minimum of $1 trillion in additional spending necessary over the next several decades to care for the veterans of these wars.
In
addition to setting clear and defined goals for U.S. military action,
Gillibrand’s legislation would help put an end to extended military
interventions by limiting the use of appropriations to support U.S.
forces in hostilities outside of an AUMF. If U.S. forces remain beyond
two years without Congressional approval, Congress would not provide
operational funding. This would require any administration to come to
Congress with adequate time before the two years is over to pass a new
AUMF, if necessary.
Specifically, the War Powers Reform Resolution would do the following:
- Require that any future AUMF that passes using the expedited procedures in the War Powers Resolution provides:
- A specific strategic objective for military action;
- A clear justification that the military force is necessary, appropriate and proportional to the mission;
- A finite list of named adversaries, not an open-ended authority for the President to add future adversaries without Congressional authorization;
- A clear specification of countries (not an open-ended authority for the President to expand the area of conflict without Congressional review); and
- A two-year maximum authority (that may be shorter in any given AUMF).
- Provide clear procedures for Congress to quickly narrow or repeal an existing AUMF when needed.
- Prohibit the use of appropriations to support military force in hostilities outside the parameters of an AUMF.
- Require more transparency in the President’s justification for any future AUMF or report required under the War Powers statute.
- Repeal the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs (which were used to authorize military action in Afghanistan and Iraq), and cut off funds after a 60-days grace period allowed for the orderly and safe removal of U.S. personnel and assets.
The full text of Gillibrand’s legislation may be found here.