Repeal of Joint Resolution to Promote Peace and Stability in the Middle East

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3283) to repeal the joint resolution entitled, ``A joint resolution to promote peace and stability in the Middle East'', as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3283

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. REPEAL OF JOINT RESOLUTION TO PROMOTE PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

Effective on the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the joint resolution entitled ``A joint resolution to promote peace and stability in the Middle East'' (Public Law 85-7; 22 U.S.C. 1961 et seq.) is hereby repealed.

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Mr. MEEKS. 3283, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3283 to repeal the joint resolution entitled ``A joint resolution to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,'' offered by Representative Meijer.

Earlier, I made the case for continuing this Chamber's hard work of reclaiming congressional war powers, started less than 2 weeks ago by our vote to repeal the 2002 AUMF and continued by our debate today to repeal the 1991 AUMF and the 1957 AUMF.

I will keep my remarks short so as not to belabor the points I made earlier, as the case for repealing the 1941 AUMF similarly applies to the 1957 AUMF, if not more so.

Going way back, I was barely a toddler when this authorization was passed, and I have been here for a while. The fact that this authorization still exists as good law today indicates the vital need for Congress to take seriously its responsibility over war and peace and repeal AUMFs once their purpose has been served or expired.

Good legislative housekeeping requires us not to just authorize force when needed to protect and defend this Nation, but to recall and repeal authorities when their usefulness has passed.

The Soviet Union this authorization was meant to counter no longer exists. There is no Soviet Union now. The 1957 AUMF is a relic of the Cold War. It is outdated and obsolete.

We, as Members of Congress, have been granted the responsibility to make decisions on matters of war and peace by the Constitution, a responsibility none of us takes lightly. However, for far too long we have failed to make those decisions at all. Instead, we have ceded our Article I authority to administrations that have reinterpreted old AUMFs. The threat of that abuse continues so long as we allow these authorizations to remain in the U.S. Code.

I thank again the ranking member for working with us to bring this bill forward. I thank Representative Meijer for authoring this legislation. And I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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Mr. MEEKS. Spanberger), a very valued member of our committee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker I yield myself the balance of my time.

I thank Mr. Meijer for this piece of legislation. Again, I thank Mr. McCaul for working together, and I have no come back; yes, I was just a toddler, you weren't here yet.

There seems to be a theme, and if you think there is a theme that is going on today, there is a theme. The theme is that we in the United States Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, are acting to reclaim our Congressional war powers. First, we voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF, then the 1991 AUMF, and now the 1957 AUMF. These authorizations serve no current national security purpose and only risk to strip Congress of its Article I authority to decide matters of war and peace. That is the theme here today.

The work is not over. We still have to work, as I have said, and I pledge to work with Mr. McCaul to repeal and replace the 2001 AUMF. But it is our solemn responsibility to decide when, where, and how we deploy members of our armed services and not take a back seat on such decisions to the executive branch.

Mr. Speaker, working together, we will indeed do what Article I tells us to do: To determine when, where, and how we go to war.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this very important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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