Kaine & Young Applaud Bipartisan Bill to Formally End Iraq Wars Becoming Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) applauded the repeal of the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) against Iraq. Kaine and Young's bipartisan legislation to repeal these AUMFs was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was signed by the President today.

"The repeal of the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force against Iraq-the first repeal of an authorization in more than 50 years-is historic. It allows the American people, including the generations of servicemembers who served in Iraq, to finally close the book on this part of our nation's history," said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. "There have been too many instances of Congress abdicating its role in matters of war and peace, but the repeal of these AUMFs is a significant step forward in reclaiming our solemn constitutional responsibility and saying no to forever endless wars. I'm thankful to the cosponsors of this legislation and my colleagues for fulfilling our duty, to the President for signing the legislation into law, and to the many advocates, veterans, and military families who worked tirelessly alongside us to get this done."

"It's time to close the book on these forever wars once and for all," said Young, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. "This is an important step of what I like to call legislative hygiene, for Congress to formally end these two wars. The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs are no longer necessary and leaving them on the books carries risk of potential misuse. I want to thank my Congressional colleagues and President Trump for supporting this legislation and specifically thank Senator Kaine for his partnership on this effort for many years. Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of the men and women who served in these two conflicts. We honor your service and sacrifice."

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