{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2026/7/lee-kaine-paul-and-merkley-introduce-bipartisan-repeal-of-1957-authorization-of-military-force", "Lee, Kaine, Paul, and Merkley Introduce Bipartisan Repeal of 1957 Authorization of Military Force", "2026-07-30", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", "mikelee", "https://www.lee.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal an obsolete Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) dating back to 1957 under the Eisenhower Administration. Also known as the Middle East Force Resolution, the AUMF provides broad authority to use military force against countries in the Middle East in order to combat the influence of the Soviet Union. It has never been invoked but remains the longest-active AUMF.\n\n\u201cOutdated Congressional authorizations for military action should not sit on the books forever as a blank check; it is important to repeal the ones that have run their course,\u201d said Senator Mike Lee. \u201cOur bipartisan bill will clean the slate by repealing a Cold War-era AUMF in the Middle East that is no longer necessary.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen I was Governor of Virginia, I saw firsthand the human toll and costs of war on Americans, particularly our military families. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve fought to restore Congress\u2019 role in decisions of war and peace since I came into the Senate,\u201d said Senator Tim Kaine. \u201cThe 1957 AUMF, which has never been invoked, serves no purpose and runs the risk of potential misuse. We must repeal this outdated and unnecessary law and reaffirm our most solemn constitutional responsibility of whether to send our nation\u2019s sons and daughters into war.\u201d\n\n\"It is long past due for Congress to reclaim its constitutional duty regarding declarations of war,\u201d said Senator Rand Paul. \u201cThis obsolete authorization for the use of military force dates back to 1957 and should be repealed to ensure deliberation and a vote before the men and women of the armed forces are placed in harm\u2019s way.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongress must repeal this decades-old authorization to prevent its misuse and reduce the risk of another costly and unnecessary forever war,\u201d said Senator Jeff Merkley. \u201cIt is essential to restore Congressional power on questions of war as our Founders envisioned.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nBipartisan legislation to repeal the 1957 authorization has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Tom Barrett (R-MI-07) and Jared Golden (D-ME-02). In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 366-46 to repeal the 1957 AUMF.\n\nFull text of the Senate legislation is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-31T07:49:23Z", "2026-07-31T07:50:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2026/7/lee-kaine-paul-and-merkley-introduce-bipartisan-repeal-of-1957-authorization-of-military-force"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7515589240938425, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}