The US Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday in favor of legislation rescinding authorizations for the 1991 and 2002 Iraq wars, as Congress pushes to take back its role in deciding whether to send US combat forces out of the United States.
The legislation won 65-28 in the vote on completing debate on the legislation, more than the 60 votes required in the 100-member Senate, paving the way for a vote on its approval later this week.
All votes against the legislation were Republicans.
Members of Congress have argued for years that the Senate has ceded too much power to both Republican and Democratic presidents over whether to send troops into combat, according to Reuters, by passing “open” authorizations to wage wars and then failing to revoke them.
Under the Constitution, Congress, not the president, can declare war.
Supporters of the current bill call the authorizations for the use of military force for 1991 and 2002 against Iraq “zombie” licenses.
They say the licenses are outdated and inappropriate, given that the wars are long over and Iraq is now a partner of the United States.
This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war in 2003.
“The revocation of these authorizations will show the region, and the world, that the United States is not an occupying power, that the war in Iraq is over, that we are moving forward, and we are working with Iraq as a strategic partner.
