House chamber votes in favor of repealing 1991 and 1957 war authorizations

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted in favor of repealing a 1991 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) pertaining to the Gulf War in Iraq and an even older 1957 resolution which supplied broad permission for military activity in the Middle East to defend against "armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism."

The vote to repeal came as part of a seven-bill package, according to The Hill. GOP lawmakers were the only legislators to vote against approval. The vote was 366-46. 

"By not repealing an AUMF and allowing it to remain long after it has served this purpose, we open the door for future administrations of either party to abuse that authority and stretch the authorization far beyond its original purpose," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, said Monday amid floor debate on the bills that passed Tuesday, according to the outlet.

Earlier this month the chamber voted in favor of repealing a 2002 AUMF pertaining to the Iraq War. 

It is anticipated that next month the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will weigh a bill which would repeal the 2002 and 1991 authorizations. While the committee had previously been expected to consider the bill in June, it pushed back the markup upon the request of Republicans who called for a briefing from the administration prior to a vote on repealing the 2002 AUMF, according to The Hill.