Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Iran
Iran

Florida Government & Politics

Matt Gaetz: Trump Shouldn’t Use 2001, 2002 Authorizations of Military Force Against Iran

While U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is a key ally to President Donald Trump, the Panhandle congressman has made it clear that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to use the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed in 2001 and 2002 against Iran.

While U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is a key ally to President Donald Trump, the Panhandle congressman has made it clear that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to use the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed in 2001 and 2002 against Iran.

Gaetz, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and 16 other members of the U.S. House looked to amend the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday “to prevent federal funds from being used for any military force against Iran without congressional authorization.” With some hawks calling on the Trump administration to use the AUMFs as justification for getting tougher with Iran, Gaetz stressed the White House needs congressional approval before taking action.

“Specifically, this amendment clarifies that neither the 2001 nor 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) can be invoked to justify the use of military force against Iran,” Gaetz’s office noted. “This amendment must next be made in order by the Rules Committee and then it will be considered on the floor during the NDAA debate in July.”

While the amendment was pulled after debate on Tuesday, Gaetz said he and Trump are on the same page when it comes to the Middle East.

“This amendment affirms what President Trump knows and believes: unfocused, unconstitutional, unending wars in the Middle East make America weaker, not stronger,” said Gaetz. “The United States must be strong in its approach to Iran, and I applaud President Trump for acknowledging that strength can be demonstrated through mindful restraint. Iran must be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon and threatening international peace, but Congress must resolve to ensure that any military action is carried out constitutionally.”

Khanna was more critical of the president and members of his administration.

“Last week, we watched President Trump come within minutes of striking Iran and involving the United States in yet another trillion-dollar war in the Middle East,” said Khanna. “President Trump campaigned on ending costly wars overseas but given the advisors he chose and his recent risky actions, he is not living up to that promise. This bipartisan amendment is a vital safeguard against unilateral actions by this president who selected the architect of the Iraq war to be his national security advisor. This amendment is also proof that opposition to war with Iran transcends partisan politics. With this effort, Americans can come together around the idea that we must stop a war with Iran.”

 

Reach Kevin Derby at [email protected].

 

Author

  • Kevin Derby

    Originally from Jacksonville, Kevin Derby is a contributing writer for Florida Daily and covers politics across Florida.

    View all posts

Archives

Related Articles

Opinion

Op-Ed by Jim Farley President Donald Trump won Florida in the 2024 election by more than 13 points. With nearly 1.5 million more votes...

Political News

President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to abolish the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Below is an overview of recent votes of involving...

Political News

U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) and U.S. Congressman Cory Mills (FL-07), co-chairs of the Congressional DOGE Caucus, introduced H.R. 2006, the Department of Government...

Education News

 U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump‘s executive order aimed at “dismantling the U.S. Department of...

Advertisement
Florida Daily
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

HOW WE COLLECT E-MAIL INFORMATION:

If you sign up to subscribe to Florida Daily’s e-mail newsletter, you will provide us your e-mail address and name, voluntarily, and we will never obtain any of your contact information that you don’t voluntarily provide.

HOW WE USE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS IF YOU VOLUNTARILY PROVIDE IT TO US:

If you voluntarily provide us with your name and email address, we will use it to send you one email update per weekday. Your email address will not be given to any third parties.

YOUR CONTROLS:

You will have the option to unsubscribe to our E-mail update at anytime by clicking an unsubscribe link that will be provided in each E-Mail we send.