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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 526 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 526

To sunset the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force after three 
                                 years.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2015

Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Murphy) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To sunset the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force after three 
                                 years.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sunset of the 2001 Authorization for 
Use of Military Force Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On September 11, 2001, the United States and its 
        citizens were victims of the worst terrorist attacks in world 
        history.
            (2) The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were planned, 
        financed, and executed by al Qaeda, a terrorist organization 
        led by Osama bin Laden.
            (3) Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan throughout the period 
        leading up to the attacks, and the three previous attacks 
        against United States targets, the 1993 World Trade Center 
        bombing, the 1998 East Africa bombings, and the 2000 attack on 
        the USS Cole, were planned by al Qaeda central.
            (4) From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban government of 
        Afghanistan knowingly harbored al Qaeda, and was complicit in 
        its plots against the United States, and al Qaeda, in turn, 
        supported the Taliban, including sponsoring and training the 
        elite Arab 55th Brigade of the Taliban Army.
            (5) Following the September 11, 2001, attacks, Congress 
        passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 
        107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) to provide the President with 
        requisite authorization to use ``force against those nations, 
        organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, 
        committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on 
        September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, 
        in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism 
        against the United States by such nations, organizations or 
        persons''.
            (6) Congress never intended and did not authorize a 
        perpetual war.
            (7) With the withdrawal of United States combat troops from 
        Afghanistan and the transition to Afghan national security 
        forces at the end of 2014, the Authorization for Use of 
        Military Force, which was focused on the September 11th attacks 
        and those directly responsible, will have largely served its 
        purpose.
            (8) The homeland and the American people face new threats 
        from individuals, entities, and organizations that may 
        affiliate with al Qaeda, or share its ideology and its 
        determination to attack Americans, but which may not be 
        connected to the September 11, 2001, attacks or those who 
        carried them out to a degree sufficient to be covered by the 
        Authorization for Use of Military Force.
            (9) Even after the expiration of the Authorization for Use 
        of Military Force, there is likely to remain the need to defend 
        against specific networks of violent extremists, including al 
        Qaeda and its affiliates, that threaten the United States, and 
        the President must work with the legislative branch to secure 
        whatever new authorities may be required to meet the threat and 
        comply with the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution (50 
        U.S.C. 1541 et seq.).

SEC. 3. SUNSET OF 2001 AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE.

    The Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40; 50 
U.S.C. 1541 note) shall terminate on the date that is three years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, unless reauthorized.
                                 <all>
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