Bipartisan Senate bill seeks to scrap 1957 Middle East military authorization

Senators Mike Lee and Tim Kaine led a bipartisan effort to revoke the 1957 Authorization for Use of Military Force, a Cold War-era provision that permits presidential deployment of U.S. troops to the Middle East without a formal declaration of war. Although the authorization was never invoked, it remains the longest-standing AUMF in U.S. history and could be cited to justify future actions. Lee described the law as an outdated “blank check,” and Kaine warned that its continued existence risks misuse and undermines Congress’s constitutional duty to approve war.

The bill aims to formally repeal the resolution, which can only be nullified by congressional action. A parallel repeal measure passed the House in 2021, signaling growing bipartisan concern over lingering military authorizations.