The House Will Have 10 Minutes To Debate Repealing The Post-9/11 Military Authorization Law

"If we are going to send our young men and women into combat, and we are going to use force, then Congress needs to debate," Rep. Barbara Lee said.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans will allow 10 minutes of debate to determine whether or not they should repeal the sweeping law that authorized the war on terror.

The debate will occur over Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which calls for the full repeal of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, one year after the NDAA goes into place.

Republicans on the Rules Committee shot down a separate amendment, introduced by Democratic Rep. Barabara Lee, which called for a report revealing all of the military actions that have been justified using the AUMF. Lee's amendment also called on Congress to review each action to determine whether any ongoing operations should be continued.

Schiff's amendment makes no such request.

"The American people want Congress to extend their constitutional ability," Lee said in an interview with BuzzFeed after she testified to the Rules Committee. "I believe that Congress should be and will be consulted on any future efforts as it relates to the use of force."

"If we are going to send our young men and women into combat, and we are going to use force, then Congress needs to debate," she added.

Last year, the Congressional Research Service found that the AUMF had been used at least 30 times between September 2001 and July 2013 to justify action in countries from Afghanistan to Yemen, from Iraq to Somalia.

Lee's amendment was co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Ted Yoho, Paul Broun, and Walter Jones.

Another amendment from Lee, which sought to repeal a 2002 AUMF provision for Iraq, was also dismissed by the committee.

While the House debates these amendments, the Senate is still working on its version of the NDAA. On Tuesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid said he hopes their version will "be reported out really soon."

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