Rep. Barbara Lee: Repeal AUMF to stop ‘this state of perpetual war’
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) on Wednesday called for the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to be repealed.
“I’m convinced that if we do not repeal this authorization to use force that I voted against in 2001, we are going to see this state of perpetual war forever,” she told Current TV’s John Fugelsang.
Congress approved the AUMF just days after the September 11 terrorist attacks, giving the President authority to wage war “against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks.” Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against it, describing it as a “blank check” for war.
The Obama administration has used the AUMF as a legal justification for its targeted drone strike program in Pakistan and Yemen.
“The use of drones in many instances creates more hatred, more anger, more hostility toward our country,” Lee added, citing the recent congressional testimony of a young Yemeni activist.
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