US House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq war authorization

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted to repeal the 2002 authorization for the Iraq War, an effort to curb presidential war powers.

The Democratic-led House revoked the 2002 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in a vote of 268 to 161, with 49 Republicans joining 219 Democrats.

"After nearly 20 years of fighting for this, we're finally one step closer to ending forever wars," tweeted by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the sponsor of the repeal bill.

The 2002 authorization allows military action to defend the national security of the United States "against the continuing threat posed by Iraq." It was repeatedly used by following US presidents to justify military action against terrorist threats.

The Donald Trump administration cited the 2002 AUMF as a legal justification for launching drone strikes that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in January 2020.

The House voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF after the strike, but the effort went nowhere in the Senate, which was then controlled by Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday voiced support to revoke the authorization and said he would put a similar measure on the Senate floor.

US media reported that the momentum is building for full congressional repeal of the 2002 authorization.

The White House said in a statement earlier this week that the administration supports the move.

"The President is committed to working with the Congress to ensure that outdated authorizations for the use of military force are replaced with a narrow and specific framework appropriate to ensure that we can continue to protect Americans from terrorist threats," it added.