Golden Makes Public Call for Congress to Stand Up for Its War Powers alongside Democrats, Republicans, and an Independent

Washington Post: ‘We differ in our politics. We agree on Congress's power to declare war.'

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02), along with six other Members of Congress from across the political spectrum, penned an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for Congress to reassert its constitutional responsibilities to declare war and send American servicemembers into harm's way. Golden, joined by Justin Amash (I-MI), Ken Buck (R-CO), Scott Perry (R-PA), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), argued that the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) should be repealed and that Congress should debate changes to the 2001 AUMF.

Key sections include:

"We have been at war in the Middle East for nearly two decades, under authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) that our predecessors in Congress passed almost a generation ago. Men and women of our armed forces continue to risk their lives as presidents of both parties stretch these authorizations to justify often tenuously related military engagements. Rather than debating and voting on present conflicts, Congress habitually acquiesces to the executive branch's actions. This must change; the Constitution demands it, and the people we represent deserve it...

"To start, it is time to have a serious debate and vote on repeal of the 2002 AUMF, which authorized the use of force against Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq. This authorization has fully outlived its purpose, given the death of Hussein, regime change and the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2011, regardless of how one views the merits of that withdrawal… We also must foster an informed debate on a strategic alternative to the 2001 authorization.

"Our debates and votes must affirm that the decision to proceed with war-making resides in Congress. The declarations or authorizations we pass must have a clear scope and requirement of periodic congressional reconsideration to ensure the proper defense of our nation and prevent ill-defined forever wars."

Read the op-ed in full here.