Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office issued the following:
Washington, DC – U.S.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services
Personnel Subcommittee, today wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily
News on her landmark legislation, the War Powers Reform Resolution, that would restore Congress's leadership in the nation’s foreign policy and finally put an end to unauthorized forever wars.
Specifically, Gillibrand’s War Powers Reform Resolution would amend the War Powers Resolution to
ensure no Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs) are 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.
The full text of Gillibrand’s op-ed may be found here and below.
Last week, I returned from a trip to
Afghanistan and Kuwait, where I visited our brave service members and
thanked them for their many sacrifices during the season of
Thanksgiving. These troops are some of the best and brightest our
country has to offer. I am grateful and humbled by their dedication to
serving our country.
Their continued deployment in places like
Afghanistan, however, is a reminder that they are fighting a war that
has gone on for almost two decades and has expanded to over a dozen
countries — nearly all of it without specific congressional approval.
Congress granted President George W. Bush
the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, for a
quick military response to the terrorists who attacked us on our own
soil. A year later, it passed the AUMF authorizing war in Iraq. But
Bush, and the presidents who followed, used these authorizations to
involve our military in other conflicts far beyond their original
intents. Service members have fought and died in Niger, Syria and Yemen
on the basis of these authorizations.
The founders of our country gave only
Congress the power to declare war. They understood both the danger of
giving any one person too much power and the fact that when war is
waged, it is the American people who bear the burden and should thus
have their voices heard. In recent years, Congress has relinquished its
power to authorize war against new enemies or in new countries, and
failed to meet its fundamental responsibility to hold presidents
accountable for endless and unnecessary wars.
A healthy recent exception was when the
House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the disastrous
Saudi war in Yemen. But this exception is a unique circumstance that
proves the rule.
Of course, we know that terrorism has not
been extinguished. Even after the death of Osama Bin Laden and the
decimation of Al Qaeda’s leadership, terrorists aiming to harm Americans
have continued to metastasize. One need look no further than ISIS,
which has inspired or claimed terror attacks in the United States,
Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France and more.
But meeting the terror threat does not
require sending U.S. troops to fight foreign battles. Today, terrorists
recruit and plan online, and they have struck us and our allies
regardless of who physically controls a country.
To combat terrorism, we must leverage the
sophisticated strategies that are America’s advantage. We have the
best-trained intelligence professionals, quickest reaction forces, and
top military assets deployed around the world. There is no geography we
cannot reach on short notice. Our toolbox of diplomacy, alliances and
development assistance has served us for decades, and we must double
down on these tools once again.
We also can put an end to these forever
wars by passing my legislation, the War Powers Reform Resolution. It
would reinstate Congress’ authority to review military action from the
president and end the manipulation of congressional authorizations for
use of military force.
My legislation would repeal the 2001 and
2002 AUMFs, eliminating the ability of President Trump or any future
president to continue the nearly two-decades-old wars our service
members are still fighting. It would limit all future AUMFs to two years
and require the president to provide Congress with the specific
military objective, enemy and location for the military action, along
with a clear justification for that action.
It would also renew Congress’ power to end
wars by allowing them to narrow or repeal an AUMF through the same
expedited procedures used for creating one. Lastly, it would limit the
use of congressionally appropriated funds to support only the actions
authorized under the AUMF, restricting actions beyond its scope.
It is time to reclaim Congress’ full
foreign policy and national security role by changing the way military
action is authorized. Endless wars, and ill-advised deployments, must be
things of the past. Instead, focused and deliberate military action
must be used sparingly and only when we need it most. We owe it to our
service members, their families, and to the American people.