Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement on 18th Anniversary of “Mission Accomplished” Speech
Washington, D.C.–Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations released a statement marking the eighteenth anniversary of President Bush declaring victory in the Iraq War by saying, “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” with a banner in the background that read “mission accomplished”:
“Eighteen years after former President George W. Bush stood in front of the infamous ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner backdrop and told the nation the ‘major combat operations in Iraq have ended,’ both the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs have been used by three consecutive administrations to wage war beyond scope that Congress intended.
“To this day, endless wars have not ceased, as we still see American forces deployed in countries we have occupied for decades. We spent nearly $2 trillion on the Iraq War alone and thousands of lives have been lost.
“The 2002 AUMF authorizing military force against Iraq no longer serves any operational purpose as operations carried out under the 2002 AUMF officially ended in 2011. Repealing the 2002 AUMF is a critical step toward reasserting Congress’ constitutional authority to decide when and if our country goes to war.
“My legislation has passed the House twice before and with unprecedented support in both chambers along with support from the Biden Administration, I’m confident this will be the Congress that the 2002 AUMF is finally repealed.
“I am glad that President Biden has made a bold commitment to removing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but we still have work to do. We need to repeal the 2001 and 2002 AUMF resolutions if we want to bring an end to endless wars.”