The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Monday to advance legislation aimed at repealing two decades-old authorizations for waging war in Iraq, as Congress seeks to reaffirm its role in deciding on the deployment of troops for combat.
The voting concluded with a result of 65 to 28, surpassing the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate, paving the way for a vote on its approval later this week. All opposing votes came from Republican members.
Supporters of the current measure describe the military force authorizations from 1991 and 2002 against Iraq as outdated and argue that they are no longer appropriate since the wars have long ended and Iraq has become a partner of the United States.
Senator Bob Menendez, a Democratic member and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated before the vote that repealing these authorizations would demonstrate to the region and the world that the United States is not an occupying power, that the Iraq War is over, and that the U.S. is moving forward, working with Iraq as a strategic partner.
