The House will have 10 minutes to debate the authorization to fight against the Islamic State on Thursday as it wraps up its consideration of the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill.
An amendment from Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., to repeal the 2001 authorization for the use of military force was ruled in order and will be debated by the full House on Thursday afternoon. The amendment would repeal the authorization to fight terrorists 90 days after the National Defense Authorization Act becomes law.
“Today, the House will have 10 minutes of floor debate on my amendment to #StopEndlessWar & mandate an #AUMF debate,” Lee tweeted.
The administration claims that it can carry out its current campaign against the Islamic State under the 2001 authorization to fight terrorism and the 2002 authorization that specifically allowed military operations in Iraq.
But some Republicans have questioned the legality of relying on these outdated authorizations to fight a group that didn’t even exist when lawmakers passed them.
The call for Congress to pass a new, Islamic State-specific authorization has been bipartisan, and lawmakers have introduced several plans, but Congress has yet to act on any proposal.
Lee’s amendment is one of 120 that the House will consider on its second day of debate on the annual defense policy bill. The Rules Committee rejected amendments about the authorization for the use of military force from several other lawmakers, including a three-year authorization to fight the Islamic State from Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
