The U.S. House of Representatives voted 268-161 yesterday, to repeal the 2002 resolution that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq. According to The Hill, 49 Republicans crossed the aisle to vote for the repeal while one Democrat went the other way to vote against it. “Repeal can prevent our country from entering another protected protracted engagement under this outdated authority,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the sponsor of the repeal bill. “We can’t afford to leave this in place indefinitely. For two decades, it has been in place. This is our opportunity to restore our constitutional role.”
Unlike in 2020, the last time the House voted on such a repeal, this time there appears to be a chance that it might actually pass into law. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer has indicated that he plans to take it up in the Senate and the White House has already stated support for the repeal. The bigger question is whether or not the repeal of the 2002 authorization will pave the way for the repeal of the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force, passed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The other question that should be asked but likely isn’t being raised, is when will the Congress start investigating—with an eye towards prosecution—the lies that were used as the basis for the passage of the 2002 authorization in the first place.
