Senate votes to repeal Iraq war authorizations 20 years after U.S. invasion

The Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal the legal justifications used to attack Iraq in 1991 and 2003, endorsing a rare bipartisan effort by Congress to revoke the authority to wage war from the executive branch just days after the 20-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.

In a vote of 66 to 30, the Senate approved a resolution to repeal the 2002 authorization for the use of military force, or AUMF, that Congress adopted ahead of the March 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied troops, as well as the 1991 authorization for the first Gulf War.

Proponents of repealing the authorizations say doing so is necessary to prevent future presidents from abusing their power, while not hamstringing current counterterrorism efforts.