The Senate just voted to repeal a pair of Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) with bipartisan support, taking a step toward closing the door on the Iraq War 20 years after it started. Senators voted 66-30 to officially repeal the 1991 authorization for the Gulf War and the 2002 AUMF that opened the door to the Iraq War the following March. Senate passage means the next step is the House, where a bill to repeal the two AUMFs has been introduced but has yet to advance out of committee. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) and other Republicans have signaled support for the legislation, or at least a debate on the issue.
The Senate is also expected to take up S.870, to amend the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for the United States Fire Administration and firefighter assistance grant programs. Later today, the Senate may begin work on H.J.Res.27, Waters of the United States CRA, and H.J.Res.7, COVID-19 emergency declaration termination which terminates the national emergency concerning COVID-19 declared by the President on March 13, 2020.
The House convened at 12:00 P.M. and is continuing consideration of H.R. 1 – Lower Energy Costs Act. Among other things, the messaging legislation would target the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including clawing back $27 billion tied to EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the law’s new fees on methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector, and a set of programs that provide rebates and training for energy-efficient appliances. However, H.R. 1 doesn’t target other major parts of the Inflation Reduction Act. About $270 billion of the law’s cost came from tax provisions meant to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, renewable energy and other technologies to tamp down emissions, but none of those would be repealed under the Republican package. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) declared the bill “dead on arrival” in the Senate and President Joe Biden said he would veto it.
