Skip to content
RollCall logo

Video

Authorizing conflict: AUMF and Congress explained

A protester dressed as President Donald Trump participates in the No War With Iran rally outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
A protester dressed as President Donald Trump participates in the No War With Iran rally outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
By Nathan Ouellette and Rachel Oswald
Posted January 10, 2020 at 12:06pm

The United States hasn’t officially declared war since World War II. Instead, conflicts such as the Vietnam War, The Gulf War and the War on Terror are initiated courtesy of an Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF

Watch as CQ Roll Call’s Foreign Policy reporter Rachel Oswald explains AUMF, how it’s used and the implications behind President Donald Trump’s recent military actions against Iran.

Loading the player...

Recent Stories

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., says the House speaker's job may be on the line if he cuts a deal with Democrats.

Senate readies stopgap as House tries again on full-year bills

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., has introduced a bill that would guarantee pay for active-duty military, reservists and certain civilian employees, including at the Coast Guard.

Military pay, typically exempted during shutdowns, is at risk

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said he expects to beat a federal indictment and criticized those calling for him to resign.

Menendez expects to win ‘biggest fight yet,’ defends seized cash

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin has long focused on protecting human rights and stopping corruption abroad.

Cardin to take Foreign Relations gavel after Menendez charges

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., is seen outside a House Appropriations Committee markup in the Rayburn House Office Building on July 18. Lee, ranking member of the House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, has urged a quick, clean reauthorization of PEPFAR.

Lee, administration officials issue plea for five-year PEPFAR

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday that 50,000 USDA workers would be furloughed, affecting spending in the communities where they work and loans to farmers.

Vilsack sees shutdown taking away children’s food, farmers’ loans