US Senate unanimously endorses repeal of 2002 Iraq war resolution

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 11:10 PM EDT, October 9, 2025


WASHINGTON (AP) — More than two decades later, Congress is on the verge of writing a closing chapter to the war in Iraq.

The Senate voted Thursday to repeal the resolution that authorized the 2003 U.S. invasion, following a House vote last month that would return the basic war power to Congress.

The amendment by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Indiana Sen. Todd Young, a Republican, was approved by voice vote to an annual defense authorization bill that passed the Senate late Thursday — a unanimous endorsement for ending the war that many now view as a mistake.

Iraqi deaths were estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and nearly 5,000 U.S. troops were killed in the war after President George W. Bush’s administration falsely claimed that then-President Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. “That’s the way the war ends, not with a bang but a whimper,” Kaine said after the vote, which lasted only a few seconds with no debate and no objections. Still, he said, “America is forever changed by those wars, and the Middle East is too.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/congress-war-powers-iraq-trump-a6bc311c0b0890022cb818550758c94e

[Gore1FL]

1. Just 23 years late!

Progress, at least.

[moniss]

2. I condemned the media for lapping it up and

being all thrilled about being "embedded" as though they were going to Disneyland. I condemned the destruction of people who were questioning the legitimacy for the war. There was never actual real action taken by big media for individual and organizational accountability and that same cowardice was displayed in the 2016 election and onward and it hasn't changed.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. M$M and Military Industrial Complex are on the side of monied interests

and return on capital. War is an investment to them. They won't admit it of course.

Health care, same. Big Pharma and medicine makes them money. Anything that involves commerce.

[maxsolomon]

10. I condemn Americans for lapping it up.

IIRC, support for that stupid war crime ran at somewhere near 80% prior to the invasion. Many otherwise sane people thought it would be a good idea to kick Saddam's ass.

[LudwigPastorius]

21. In defense of your average, uninformed dumbass,...

I'll just note that they were "helped along" in their opinion mightily by the propaganda tsunami generated by Bush & Cheney.

Two years after 9/11 attack (thanks to the constant bullshit out of the White House) 63% of people thought it was likely that Saddam Hussein was personally involved.

[maxsolomon]

24. A pitifully transparent propaganda tsunami.

I'll never forget how gullible Americans were.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Flexing muscle

that's no longer relevant.

[Fil1957]

5. Better late than never, I guess...

[Qutzupalotl]

6. Now if we could only prevent the president from waging war on Americans...

[brakester]

8. Does this affect

the prez from using it to justify blowing up Venezuelan boats?

[LT Barclay]

11. I could be wrong but I believe there was another use of force authorization for the

“Global war on terrorism”

[Wiz Imp]

18. The repeal does not affect current U.S. military operations, as those are largely covered under a separate 2001 AUMF

passed after the September 11th attacks.

Both supporters and former critics of the repeal acknowledge that the AUMFs are outdated and pose a risk of being misused by future presidents to justify military action that Congress has not approved. (such as Trump using it to justify killing innocent Venezuelans).

[The Grand Illuminist]

20. Only way for that....

Bring the war to them literally.

[Tetrachloride]

7. The dead may or may not have forgotten

[Ponietz]

9. "That many now view as a mistake"

Even neocons? Sickening. We were there. We told you so. Democracy cannot survive without holding ratfuckers accountable. (Incidentally, our Senate minority leader voted yea on this resolution.)

[Wounded Bear]

12. Long overdue. Now watch trump veto it...nt

[Wiz Imp]

17. He won't veto it.

It's part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senate and House passed different versions of the NDAA but both include a repeal of the AUMF so the final bill (which still needs to be negotiated between the Senate & House) will surely include the AUMF repeal

No way does Trump veto the NDAA.

[OMGWTF]

13. GeeDumbya and Cheney The Dick should be hanging in The Hague for their war crimes.

PS -- Cheney made $39.5 Billion from no-bid contracts for their two fake wars for fun and profit. WAR CRIMINALS!

[Biophilic]

14. And this does what to help us now?

[jg10003]

15. hundreds of thousands killed and nobody called it genocide

[Bayard]

16. No authorization for a war on Venezuela,

And no authorization for a war on the United States. No oversight of the executive branch. How about doing your job there, Congress.

[Martin Eden]

19. Until 2020 I refused to vote for ANYONE in a Democratic primary who voted for the IWR in 2002.

That included John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. We here at DU knew the GW Bush neocon administration was engaged in a campaign of false narratives and outright lies to justify the PNAC agenda for invading Iraq. Our Democratic leaders must have known that as well.

I finally broke my vow in 2020 when I cast my vote for Joe Biden in the Democratic primary, because I believed he had the best chance to defeat Trump.

But to this day, in my heart, I have never forgiven anyone who voted for the IWR.

Bush, Cheney, and others in that administration belong in prison for war crimes.

[Aristus]

22. Oh, well that makes it all better...

[RandiFan1290]

23. Ahh, seems like only yesterday

When I was accused of being antisemitic and a Saddam supporter on DU for being against the Iraq invasion.