Burgess: AUMFs should be revisited by Congress

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), released the following statement after voting for H.R. 256 to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Iraq.

'I came to Congress 18 years ago, and this Authorization for the Use of Military Force was put in place before I arrived,' said Burgess. 'It was meant to hold Saddam Hussein and his despicable regime accountable for their acts of terrorism and prevent them from further developing and possessing weapons of mass destruction.

'In Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the authority to declare war not the executive branch. We also have the power to end hostilities by repealing AUMFs.

'After close to 20 years, it was past time for Congress to review this specific AUMF and decide whether or not it was still necessary. The Members of Congress have vastly changed since 2002. We have a responsibility to the men and women who serve in our military to understand what we are asking them to do and to evaluate if it is still a national security priority.

'This is just one AUMF. Congress still has a responsibility to review other AUMF's to determine if those authorizations need to also be repealed.'

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