U.S. Senators Young, Kaine applaud inclusion of bipartisan legislation to formally end Iraq Wars in FY26 NDAA

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) applauded the inclusion of their bipartisan bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) against Iraq in the final conferenced version of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senate and House voted to include Young and Kaine’s legislation as amendments to the FY26 NDAA.

“I’ve been pushing for years to repeal these outdated AUMFs, and I am pleased that they are included in the final NDAA,” said Senator Young, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “It’s time to close the book on these forever wars once and for all. Thank you to my colleagues and President Trump for ensuring this important provision remained in the final bill.”

“It has been more than half a century since the United States repealed a war authorization and formally ended an armed conflict. After years of hard work alongside colleagues on both sides of the aisle, advocates, veterans, and military families, I’m glad that we are one step closer to finally repealing the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force against Iraq,” said Senator Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. “When President Trump signs this legislation into law, it will be a historic victory for our country and for the American people who want to finally close the book on this endless war.”

Young and Kaine’s bill has garnered strong bipartisan support since they first introduced it in 2019. The House voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs in June 2021. The Senate did so in March 2023, but because the votes did not occur during the same congressional session, the legislation did not become law.