On Friday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the Accountability for Endless Wars Act of 2023, which would put an end to endless wars return the authority to make decisions about engaging in military action by closing existing open-ended Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) and setting a 10-year expiration date for future AUMFs back to Congress.
“For too long, Congress’s ability to authorize — or refuse to authorize — military action has been negated by open-ended AUMFs,” said Rep Schiff. “My bill aims to prevent endless wars by setting expiration dates on AUMFs, ensuring debate and agreement between the President and Congress on future decisions to send our troops into harm’s way. It’s an important step toward; greater Congressional oversight and responsibility in our military engagements.”
Open-ended AUMFs that were enacted decades ago are still active and have been used by presidents over the years to circumvent Congressional authorization and green-light military activity. This legislation would ensure Congress has a seat at the table when decisions are being made about whether American troops are sent into combat.
A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
The Accountability for Endless Wars Act of 2023 was cosponsored by Representatives Ilhan Omar(D-Minn.) and Brad Sherman(D-Calif.).
You can find the full bill text here.
