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The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to repeal two long-standing authorizations for the use of military force in Iraq, marking the latest bipartisan effort to reassert congressional control over war-making powers that many lawmakers say have been stretched far beyond their original intent.
By a vote of 261 to 167, lawmakers agreed to repeal both the 1991 authorization tied to the Gulf War and the 2002 authorization used to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The measure was included as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The vote came just weeks after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean — actions that renewed concerns among critics in both parties that outdated authorizations give the executive branch too much unilateral military authority.
Support from both parties
The repeal effort was co-sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). It passed with the support of 212 Democrats and 49 Republicans, a coalition that Meeks said underscored the urgency of Congress reclaiming its role.
“These authorizations are long obsolete,” Meeks said on the House floor. “They risk abuse by administrations of either party. It is time for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace.”
Roy echoed the sentiment, framing the repeal as overdue. “We don’t need to have Congress effectively modern-day declaring war and leaving it in place for a quarter of a century,” he said. “Or in this case, 34 years since 1991.”
Skepticism from GOP leaders
Some Republicans opposed the move, with Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cautioning against hasty action.
“We have, I think, probably large agreement on reasons to sunset things,” Mast said. “But it should not be done in absence of doing something of this gravity in the proper way.”
Longstanding debate over war powers
The repeal effort has been years in the making. The Senate, under Democratic control, passed a similar measure in 2023 with the backing of 48 Democrats and 18 Republicans, but the Republican-controlled House never brought it to a vote.
In 2021, the House voted to repeal the 2002 authorization with the support of 219 Democrats and 49 Republicans, but the effort stalled in the Senate despite both chambers being under Democratic majorities.
Congress first approved the 2002 Iraq authorization ahead of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in March 2003. The 1991 Gulf War authorization gave President George H.W. Bush authority to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
In more recent years, presidents have cited the 2002 measure to justify new military actions, including President Trump’s 2020 drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Next steps
The repeal measure now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers from both parties have signaled support. If adopted, it would mark one of the most significant rollbacks of presidential war authority in decades.
“This is about accountability,” Meeks said. “If presidents believe new military force is necessary, they should make that case to the American people and their representatives — not lean on decades-old authorizations written for wars long since passed.”
