On Wednesday 10th September, the House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to repeal the decades-old legal authorizations that allowed U.S. military action in Iraq in 1991 and 2003. The move represents the latest effort by Congress to curb presidential war powers.

The repeal comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s recent decisions to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities and to strike a vessel in the Caribbean allegedly carrying illicit drugs. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long warned that keeping these authorizations active gives presidents a blank check to use military force without new approval.

The House adopted the measure 261 to 167, with 212 Democrats and 49 Republicans in support. The bipartisan amendment, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), was attached to the annual National Defense Authorization Act. During floor debate, Meeks called the authorizations “long obsolete” and said it was time for Congress to “reclaim its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace.”

Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, objected on procedural grounds but acknowledged broad agreement that such authorizations should not remain in place indefinitely.

Similar repeal efforts have advanced in recent years. In 2023, the Senate passed a measure with bipartisan support, but it stalled in the House. In 2021, the House voted to repeal the 2002 authorization, though the effort faltered in the Senate despite both chambers being under Democratic control.

The 2002 authorization was passed ahead of the U.S. invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein, while the 1991 authorization greenlit U.S. involvement in the Gulf War. Trump later used the 2002 authorization as legal justification for the 2020 strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Why it matters: For more than three decades, these authorizations have been used to justify U.S. military action well beyond their original intent. Lawmakers warn that leaving them on the books risks abuse of presidential power and undermines Congress’s constitutional role in matters of war. As Rep. Roy put it, “We don’t need to have Congress effectively modern-day declaring war and leaving it in place for a quarter of a freaking century, or in this case, 34 years since 1991.”