Council for a Livable World joined other organizations from across the ideological spectrum to call on Congress to sunset the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force and repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF.
“Since its enactment on September 14, 2001, the 2001 AUMF has served as a blank check for endless, global war under multiple presidents. Despite congressional intent to only give then-President George W. Bush the authority to use military force against those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and those who harbored them, the law failed to include any time limits, geographic constraints, specific objectives or an exit strategy. As a result, three successive presidents have used the law to unilaterally expand the nation’s use of military force against individuals, groups, and even nation states never intended by Congress. Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump have used the 2001 AUMF to justify U.S. military action in 19 countries at least 41 times. The expansive U.S. militarized counterterrorism footprint now extends to at least 80 countries, costing an estimated $6.4 trillion, as well as the lives of thousands of American soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of civilians abroad.” Read more
