May 15, 2018

Duckworth Statement on Effort to Pass Updated Authorization for Use of Military Force

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Ahead of a U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing tomorrow on legislation that would replace our 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs) with an updated AUMF, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement:

“One of Congress’s most solemn constitutional responsibilities is deciding when and how we choose to send America’s sons and daughters into combat, but we could soon have troops serving in the Middle East who literally were not alive when Congress considered the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force that put them there. I have long called for Congress and the American people to have a thorough and honest debate about replacing the outdated 2001 and 2002 AUMFs that authorize our military actions in the war on terror, and I commend Senators Corker and Kaine for their bravery and commitment to our troops shown in proposing this legislation so we can finally begin that necessary debate. Though I have serious reservations about aspects of the current version of this proposal, I hope we can use it as a starting point and, as we move forward, find a compromise that I can support to ensure our troops deployed overseas know they have the backing and legal authority of Congress.”

Since she was elected to the Senate, Duckworth has urged her colleagues to replace our outdated Authorizations for Use of Military Force, which set the legal framework, parameters and constitutional basis for our ongoing military engagements. In January, following her return from an official trip to the Korean Peninsula, Senator Duckworth delivered a keynote address at Georgetown University to highlight the importance of Congress reclaiming its constitutional prerogatives when it comes to matters of war and peace. Last fall, she penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal  calling for a new AUMF.

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