U.S. Rep. Jason Crow is among the bipartisan group of lawmakers that has introduced new legislation to curtail the use of a military force authorization passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks for expanding future warfighting operations overseas.

“The most solemn responsibility of Congress is the decision to send our men and women into harm’s way,” said Crow. “My military career started as an enlisted soldier and I will never forget being Private Crow as I make decisions in Washington. For too long, we’ve heard the same political argument that the time is not right to have the hard discussions about our foreign military involvements.”

The legislation would not repeal the 2001 authorization for use of military force, known as AUMF, or prohibit the use of force against other entities altogether.

“In the event that the president must act to defend the United States in a country where we are not operating today, he could do so under the terms laid out in the War Powers Resolution of 1973,” wrote four of the other bill sponsors in The Hill. “The president would be required to notify Congress regarding the introduction of forces, giving Congress 60 days to debate and determine if an authorization for use of military force is appropriate.”

The 2001 authorization deemed the president able to use “all necessary and appropriate force” against people and organizations that were responsible for the attacks on U.S. soil, “in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.” 

An op-ed for Just Security points out that subsequent presidential administrations have interpreted the order to apply to entities that did not even exist in 2001 or have a connection to the perpetrators. Crow’s office noted that the AUMF enabled U.S. military operations in 19 countries, and the new bill would require presidential administrations to seek Congress’ approval for future, unrelated endeavors.