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I just got ChatGPT to draft a letter to help Congress pressure President Trump to end the September 14, 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force that the great Father of the Deep State Revisionist History movement, Professor Peter Dale Scott suggested we should do first in the conclusion to his great book, The American Deep State.

It’s Time for Congress to End the 2001 AUMF—and Reclaim Its War Powers

By Ellen Corley

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Congress rushed to pass the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) on September 14, 2001. It was a broadly worded mandate granting the President authority to use “all necessary and appropriate force” against those responsible for the attacks.

Nearly a quarter-century later, that same authorization remains in force—despite the death of Osama bin Laden, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the dismantling of al-Qaeda's original leadership. What was supposed to be a narrow, time-sensitive mandate has instead become the legal backbone for a sprawling, borderless war policy. It is now used to justify U.S. military action in at least 22 countries, often without debate, oversight, or public accountability.

This is not what democracy looks like.

The continued use of the 2001 AUMF represents one of the gravest abuses of executive power in modern U.S. history, enabled by a Congress that has abdicated its constitutional responsibility under Article I to decide when and where this nation goes to war.

Presidents of both parties have exploited this silence. The Pentagon has stretched the AUMF’s language to cover not just the perpetrators of 9/11, but also loosely affiliated groups in Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and beyond—some of whom didn’t even exist in 2001. The American people have not voted on these wars. Their representatives have barely debated them. And the legal justification often boils down to: “Trust us.”

We shouldn't.

This is not simply a legal or procedural failure. It is a moral one. Millions of lives have been affected—soldiers, families, civilians overseas—by military actions justified under a law passed in fear and haste nearly 24 years ago. Endless war has become normalized, and unaccountable.

If Congress is serious about restoring its authority, protecting the rule of law, and ending the forever war mentality, it must repeal the 2001 AUMF—without replacement.

Yes, there may be legitimate threats that require a military response. But if so, the Constitution is clear: the President must come to Congress and ask for authorization. No administration—Democratic or Republican—should be allowed to operate on permanent war footing based on a 2001 resolution against an enemy that no longer exists.

Repealing the AUMF is not a partisan issue. It is a constitutional issue. And members of Congress from across the political spectrum—progressives like Rep. Barbara Lee and libertarians like Sen. Rand Paul—have shown the courage to lead. Now the rest must follow.

The American people deserve a full public debate, real congressional votes, and clear limits on executive power. Ending the 2001 AUMF is the first step in restoring those democratic guardrails.

Congress must act. And the President must be held to account. We cannot afford to let another year—let alone another decade—pass under the shadow of an endless, unauthorized war.

Ellen Corley is a concerned citizen policy analyst and an advocate for constitutional war powers and foreign policy accountability.

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