The House on Wednesday voted to pass its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, with a bipartisan amendment to repeal the two laws authorizing the use of military force (AUMF) in Iraq.
The legislation, which authorizes funding and sets policy for the U.S. military, passed 231 to 196. Four Republicans voted in opposition of the bill while 17 Democrats joined the rest of the GOP in voting for it.
The AUMF amendment, part of nearly two dozen amendments added in a series of votes, would repeal the 2002 Iraq War and 1991 Gulf War authorizations as well as make it more difficult for presidents to bypass Congress on military actions.
Lawmakers voted 261 to 167 to pull the AUMFs, which critics say have been abused by presidents as they grant the commander-in-chief authority to use military force without issuing a formal declaration of war. All Democrats voted in support of the amendment, joined by 49 Republicans—about one-fifth of the GOP lawmakers.
Presidents routinely use AUMFs to legally justify military action, with President Trump relying on the 2002 AUMF to authorize the January 2020 strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani as he traveled within the country.
The vote came after three members of the House Freedom Caucus – Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) – on Tuesday broke with Republican leaders in the House Rules Committee.
The three voted in favor of a motion from Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, to allow a vote on the amendment.
A bill to repeal the 2002 AUMF last passed the House in 2021, while a bill to repeal both the 2002 and 1991 authorizations passed the Senate in 2023.
The AUMF proposal was among the most contentious amendments included in the NDAA, which has a topline of $892.6 billion. Also included in the bill were a pair of amendments that would restrict the Pentagon’s coverage of gender-affirming care.
Top House Democrats earlier this week signaled that they would oppose must-pass defense legislation if Republicans pushed through contentious amendments, forcing Republicans to stay united to pass the bill should they not have had the support of any Democrats.
The bill typically passes with wide bipartisan support.
