Rep. Bowman Vows to Maintain Pressure and Build Momentum for Promoting Diplomacy and Ending Unauthorized, Unconstitutional Military Engagements

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday, September 23, 2021 on an amendment introduced by Rep. Jamaal Bowman amending the annual National Defense Authorization Act to reserve the power to declare war for Congress, and prohibiting the U.S. military from maintaining a presence in Syria. Although the amendment did not pass, Thursday’s vote was a major show of bipartisan momentum for restoring Congressional war powers, with more than half of the Democratic caucus voting in favor and picking up support from 21 Republican members. This vote marked the first time that either chamber of Congress took a recorded floor  vote regarding the United States’ ongoing, unauthorized military presence in Syria.

The current unauthorized mission in Syria results from Trump’s declared aim to “secure the oil,” a mission that was never authorized by Congress and that experts say likely violates international law. That unauthorized mission requires U.S. service members to confront Russian and Syrian armed forces — risking a dangerous escalation between the world’s two major nuclear powers — despite the lack of any authorization for hostilities against those nations. US-led coalition bases located in Syrian oil fields have also come under attack in recent months, in retaliation for US airstrikes inside Syria that the Biden administration has admitted were not authorized by Congress.

“It is Congress’ duty to respect the service and sacrifice of those in uniform by having open public debates and recorded votes on our military engagements,” said Rep. Bowman. “By bringing a vote to the floor for the first time, and receiving significant bipartisan support, our amendment represented a historic step to restoring Congressional war powers and ending unauthorized foreign engagement. The fact is Congress—not the president—has the authority to declare war. It’s utterly disappointing that Congress refused to uphold its responsibility, but I am encouraged by this progress that we’re moving in a direction to finally fix our decades-long broken Middle East policy. I invite every member of Congress to join me in that effort.”

Rep. Bowman’s amendment was co-sponsored by War Powers Caucus founders Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) as well as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). 

“This historic vote has changed the debate over the Syria war and occupation overnight. Before yesterday, Congress had neglected its Constitutional duty to oversee this unauthorized and largely forgotten war. Thanks to Rep. Bowman, a majority of House Democrats have now not only declared that this war is unauthorized— in violation of the law and Constitution—but they even want to set clear deadlines for withdrawal,” said Hadiya Afzal of the advocacy nonprofit Just Foreign Policy. “The Biden administration should take note and prioritize a diplomatic solution and withdrawal before any further harm comes to our troops, who are serving in a mission that has no clear strategy or endgame.”

"The vote on Rep. Bowman's amendment reveals that the Biden administration can no longer rely on support from members of its own party for the ongoing unauthorized occupation of Syria. What's more, the fact that senior Democratic leadership opposed this proves that they aren't confident that they could secure the legally-required authorization from Congress, even if they were given an entire year to do so," said Cavan Kharrazian, Progressive Foreign Policy Campaigner for Demand Progress. "They're correct. Members of Congress know that the American people are fed up with these endless wars."

"This vote demonstrates that a growing bipartisan group in Congress aren’t going to permit endless war and occupation to go unchallenged. Congress’s previous silence on this unauthorized military action had been a green light to continue hostilities in Syria. This vote is a bright yellow light that should serve as a warning,” said Marcus Stanley, Advocacy Director for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “We are hopeful that President Biden will hear the message and take the next step on fulfilling his promise to end endless wars.”

Conservative-leaning organizations have also expressed support for the amendment. “The U.S. military presence in Syria is Congressionally unauthorized. After the defeat of ISIS' territorial caliphate, keeping troops in Syria does not advance vital national interests but puts our troops at constant risk of attack. Congress needs to reassert its Article I responsibilities and draw down military commitments it is not willing to pass proper authorizations for,” wrote Russ Duerstine, Deputy Director, Concerned Veterans for America, in a message to Congress in advance of the vote.

Click here to watch Rep. Bowman’s floor speech on the amendment.

For the full text of Rep. Bowman’s amendment to the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, click here.

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