WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI) today announced that one of the first bills he authored as a member of Congress passed the House of Representatives. The bill would repeal the decades-old 1957 AUMF, which was originally designed to defend Middle East nations “against armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism.” This is the first bill of Rep. Meijer’s to pass the House.
The full text of Rep. Meijer’s remarks as prepared is below:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill to repeal the outdated an unnecessary 1957 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
“Originally designed to defend Middle East nations ‘against armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism,’ this decades-old AUMF no longer serves any purpose, but instead has the potential for abuse by current and future administrations to launch an unwarranted military operation in the Middle East without approval from Congress.
“Its repeal would have no impact on ongoing operations and should be taken off the books immediately.
“Mr. Speaker, the decades-long War on Terror has demonstrated to us, among other things, the dangers of a Congress that neglects its constitutional duty to oversee our nation’s matters of war and peace. It is time that Congress get back in the habit of vigorously debating and voting on these matters. The Constitution – and the American people – demand it.
“I applaud the work of my colleagues helping lead the bipartisan efforts to restore Congress’ authority to declare war. Congresswoman Spanberger’s bill to repeal the outdated 1991 AUMF is another critical step in this effort, and I am proud to support her work on this matter.
“I would also like to thank Congressman Mike Gallagher and Congressman Jared Golden for helping to lead the effort to repeal the 1957 and 1991 AUMFs. Lastly, I would like to thank Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul for helping to bring these bills to the House floor for a vote.
“I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back.”
Original source can be found here.
