Congress Authorized Military Force After 9/11. The Authorization Has Been Used in 22 Countries Since.

One Vote. 22 Countries. 25 Years.

The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force passed on September 14, 2001, with one dissenting vote from Rep. Barbara Lee. It authorizes the president to use “all necessary and appropriate force” against those who “planned, authorized, committed, or aided” the September 11 attacks. The phrase “al-Qaeda and associated forces” does not appear in the text. That is an executive branch interpretation.

22 countries. One authorization. 25 years. The 2001 AUMF has been used to justify operations against groups that did not exist on 9/11, in countries with no connection to the attacks. Congress has never voted on any of it.

Brown University’s Costs of War Project found the AUMF has been formally cited to justify counterterrorism operations in 22 countries. The U.S. undertook counterterrorism activities in 85 countries between 2018 and 2020. Evidence exists of hostilities in Mali and Tunisia that do not appear in any executive branch AUMF citation.

The Authorization Has Been Used Against Groups That Didn’t Exist on 9/11

ISIS did not exist on September 11, 2001. It was an enemy of al-Qaeda. The Obama administration settled on the 2001 AUMF as the “strongest legal basis” for the ISIS campaign.

Legal scholars questioned the plausibility. Al-Shabaab in Somalia was designated an “associated force” despite being a Somali insurgent group with no operational connection to 9/11. The executive branch used 127e programs in Mali, Tunisia, Cameroon, Kenya, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, and Mauritania.

The executive branch has “consistently used vague language to describe the locations of operations, failed to accurately describe the full scope of activities in many places, and in some cases simply failed to report on counterterrorism hostilities.”

Congress Repealed the Iraq AUMF. The 2001 AUMF Remains.

In December 2025, the FY2026 NDAA repealed the 2002 Iraq AUMF and the 1991 Gulf War authorization. It was the first time Congress clawed back a war authorization since the 1971 repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The bipartisan amendment was sponsored by Sens. Kaine and Young.

The 2001 AUMF was not included. H.R. 6751, the “Sunset for the 2001 AUMF Act” introduced by Reps. Jayapal and Massie, has not advanced. The authorization remains fully active after 25 years, with no expiration date.

What you can do now

1. Call your U.S. representative and senators and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 6751, the Sunset for the 2001 AUMF Act introduced by Reps. Jayapal and Massie. The bill has not advanced. Your call matters. Use Resist Bot to send a message in minutes.
2. Tell your senators the Iraq AUMF repeal was a good start but not enough. Congress repealed the 2002 Iraq AUMF in December 2025 for the first time since 1971. The 2001 AUMF has been used in 22 countries against groups that did not exist on 9/11 and has no expiration date.
3. Ask your representative to demand War Powers Resolution compliance. The executive branch has “consistently used vague language to describe the locations of operations” and “in some cases simply failed to report on counterterrorism hostilities.” Congress has the constitutional authority to require these reports.
4. Share Brown University’s Costs of War research with your network. Most people do not know the U.S. conducted counterterrorism activities in 85 countries between 2018 and 2020 under a single authorization Congress passed in 2001.

Sources

• Brown Costs of War: 2001 AUMF
• Roll Call: Iraq AUMF Repealed
• International Crisis Group: Overkill
• Congress.gov: H.R. 6751