Demand a Clean Repeal of the 2002 AUMF
Eric Eikenberry / Win Without War
(August 20, 2023) — We’ve seen this pattern before: Fear-mongering, legislative manipulation, and a build-up of military presence. It’s a well-worn playbook hawks have used to lay the groundwork for conflict after conflict — and it’s playing out again as we work to shut the door on decades of endless war.
Today, we’re this close to repealing the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), the law that gave President Bush the authority to invade Iraq. That entire war was based on lies, and a bipartisan Senate did the right thing by voting to repeal the 2002 AUMF earlier this year.
Now, in the face of so much momentum, a hawkish minority in the House is working overtime to redirect our power to pave a direct road to a NEW war — this time with Iran.
The House is currently in recess, but when they return in just a few weeks, we could see this group press go on a plan to “repeal and replace” the 2002 AUMF. Let’s call that out for what it is: Authorization for a new, unnecessary U.S. war in the Middle East.
We cannot let this happen. We cannot let a vocal group of warmongers lay the groundwork for more strife, more violence, and more suffering. That’s why, as the hawks settle on their final strategy, we’re launching one of our own to ensure every Rep. hears from us FIRST.
Endless war authorizations like the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs have been a permanent fixture of U.S. foreign policy and a grim testimony to a time of fear and warmongering for far too long. It’s time to clear them BOTH from our books — and we can push Congress to take a crucial step, and finish the work to repeal the 2002 AUMF today.
The invasion of Iraq led to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths and destabilized an entire region. As long as the 2002 AUMF remains on the books, Congress is keeping the door open for more of the same. The problem? There’s a chance they could actually make things worse by trading one war for another.
Passing a clean 2002 AUMF repeal ENDS the war in Iraq, full stop.
But if the House votes to “repeal and replace” that AUMF, it means life-altering consequences for countless people at home and abroad. It means Congress diverting more resources away from education, healthcare, and infrastructure, and instead funneling them to a destructive cycle of weapons, violence, and war. It means unnecessarily setting off a chain of events that we can’t possibly control.
Right now, the Washington war machine is cranking its gears to do everything it can to derail an end to endless war — and instead “repeal and replace” one war authorization for another.
But it’s far from a foregone conclusion. Because, we have something that the hawks don’t even know is coming: Tens of thousands of people ready to push back and call for peace.
Together, we can drown out the weapons contractor CEOs and warmongering politicians. Intense public pressure during the August recess could be the linchpin to push the House to pass a clean repeal, send the bill to the president’s desk, and close the door on the Iraq war — for good.
You may know that Win Without War was founded in opposition to the heedless, destructive rush to invade Iraq two decades ago. It’s why we’ve made repealing the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force — the laws that underpin endless war — a key priority.
With the House about to repeal and replace one bad strategy for another, it’s go-time in this fight. Are you with us?
Thank you for working for peace,
Eric, Shayna, Faith, and the Win Without War team
