The House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment Thursday that would repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which was initially passed days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to give the president authority to initiate war against al Qaeda and "associated forces" without congressional approval.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D., Calif.) was the sole lawmaker to vote against the AUMF in 2001, and she has fought to repeal the act since, the Hill reported.
"I knew then it would provide a blank check to wage war anywhere, anytime, for any length by any president," Lee said.
The 2001 AUMF has been used to justify military action more than 37 times in 14 countries, according to a 2016 report from the Congressional Research Service.
In response to the surprise adoption of her amendment Thursday, Lee tweeted, "Whoa."
Whoa. My amdt to sunset 2001 AUMF was adopted in DOD Approps markup! GOP & Dems agree: a floor debate & vote on endless war is long overdue. pic.twitter.com/FS8LfYWo5J
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 29, 2017
The amendment must pass a Senate vote and be included in the final defense spending bill to go into effect. The amendment would revoke the 2001 AUMF 240 days after being passed. Congress would then be forced to vote on a new AUMF, something that lawmakers have struggled with for years.
Procedural issues could also arise. The House Foreign Affairs Committee said the AUMF amendment "should have been ruled out of order" because the Appropriations Committee does not have jurisdiction.
"The Foreign Affairs Committee has sole jurisdiction over Authorizations for the Use of Military Force," said Foreign Affairs Committee deputy staff director for communications Cory Fritz.
The decision to adopt the amendment received bipartisan support by members of the House Appropriations Committee. Members who ultimately supported Lee's amendment included military veterans Reps. Scott Taylor (R., Va.) and Chris Stewart (R., Utah).
Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.) called for a new AUMF in April.
"We need an Authorization for Use of Military Force. We got to update it, we got to make it realistic and we got to have Congress, the representatives of the American people, involved in some of these decisions," McCain said on MSNBC's "MTP Daily."