This week in Washington, D.C., the House Committee on Foreign Affairs conducted a hearing called "Reclaiming Congressional War Powes.”
Grand Rapids Republican, U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer along with Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher joined Democrats Jared Golden of Maine and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia drawing up legislation that would repeal outdated Authorizations for Use of Military Force that would end the 1991 and 2002 Gulf and Iraq War authorizations along with the 1957 Middle East AUMF. Open-ended, and with the potential for abuse, the lawmakers say the bill would prevent future administrations from military deployments into these regions in the years to come.
Rep. Meijer served in the Army in Iraq and spent time in Afghanistan. “I think this is well past time for us to be addressing these concerns and to be not only looking forward at what Congress’ role is under its Article One authorities. But also, being very mindful of what is lingering out there, perform some acts of constitutional hygiene, so that we’re both approaching where our responsibilities are to meet the evolving threats of not only today, but of tomorrow, but to ensure that it’s done in a constitutional manner.”
As Rep. Spanberger put it, “this bill would help Congress reaffirm its authority under Article I of the Constitution to debate and vote on these decisions of war and peace.”