A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is reviving efforts to repeal a pair of authorizations for use of military force , seeking to bring about an official end to the Gulf and Iraq wars.

A group of six lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would revoke the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs that paved the way for the U.S. military to initiate the use of force in the Gulf and Iraq wars. The legislation would declare an end to the two conflicts while also reining in the president’s unilateral authority to deploy troops as lawmakers seek to reassert congressional authority over declarations of war.

“Congress is responsible for both declaring wars and ending them because decisions as important as whether or not to send our troops into harm’s way warrant careful deliberation and consensus,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who co-sponsored the legislation. “The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs are no longer necessary, serve no operational purpose, and run the risk of potential misuse. Congress owes it to our servicemembers, veterans, and families to pass our bill repealing these outdated AUMFs and formally ending the Gulf and Iraq wars.”

The two AUMFs authorized military force for the Gulf and Iraq wars, but Congress has since failed to repeal the authorizations despite the two conflicts ending years ago. However, members of Congress have sought to revive efforts to end the military declarations in an attempt to prevent “potential misuse” by future presidents.

The House previously passed legislation that would repeal the two military authorizations in June 2021, which later failed to make it to a vote in the deadlocked Senate.

To pass the Senate, the bill requires support from 60 senators — meaning at least nine Republicans would need to join all Democrats in backing the measure. At least 11 GOP lawmakers have said they’d vote in favor of the bill, paving the way for its passage.

“We really wanted to come out of the gate strong with the introduction to show on the Senate side we can get over 60 votes,” Kaine told the Wall Street Journal. 

Repealing the AUMFs is crucial to preserving America's relationship with its foreign allies, particularly for the country’s efforts to advance security and stability in the Middle East, lawmakers said.

“Sadly, according to these laws that are still on the books, Iraq is still technically an enemy of the United States,” Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said. “This inconsistency and inaccuracy should be corrected. Congress must do its job and take seriously the decision to not just commit America to war, but to affirmatively say that we are no longer at war. Our bipartisan legislation will repeal the outdated and unnecessary 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force and ensure Congress fulfills its constitutional responsibility.”

Repealing the authorizations would not disrupt current operations in the Middle East, nor would it prevent the U.S. from initiating a military response to future threats.

The White House has previously vowed to work with Congress to repeal the two AUMFs, noting they would be replaced with a “narrow and specific framework” that would allow the U.S. to deploy military action while “ending the forever wars.”