IA 
107TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. J. RES. 114
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 2, 2002
Mr. HASTERT (for himself and Mr. GEPHARDT) introduced the following joint 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against 
Iraq.
Whereas in 1990 in response to Iraq’s war of aggression 
against and illegal occupation of Kuwait, the United 
States forged a coalition of nations to liberate Kuwait 
and its people in order to defend the national security of 
the United States and enforce United Nations Security 
Council resolutions relating to Iraq; 
Whereas after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, Iraq entered 
into a United Nations sponsored cease-fire agreement 
pursuant to which Iraq unequivocally agreed, among 
other things, to eliminate its nuclear, biological, and 
chemical weapons programs and the means to deliver and 
develop them, and to end its support for international 
terrorism;
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Whereas the efforts of international weapons inspectors, 
United States intelligence agencies, and Iraqi defectors 
led to the discovery that Iraq had large stockpiles of 
chemical weapons and a large scale biological weapons 
program, and that Iraq had an advanced nuclear weap-
ons development program that was much closer to pro-
ducing a nuclear weapon than intelligence reporting had 
previously indicated; 
Whereas Iraq, in direct and flagrant violation of the cease-
fire, attempted to thwart the efforts of weapons inspec-
tors to identify and destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass de-
struction stockpiles and development capabilities, which 
finally resulted in the withdrawal of inspectors from Iraq 
on October 31, 1998; 
Whereas in 1998 Congress concluded that Iraq’s continuing 
weapons of mass destruction programs threatened vital 
United States interests and international peace and secu-
rity, declared Iraq to be in ‘‘material and unacceptable 
breach of its international obligations’’ and urged the 
President ‘‘to take appropriate action, in accordance with 
the Constitution and relevant laws of the United States, 
to bring Iraq into compliance with its international obli-
gations’’ (Public Law 105–235); 
Whereas Iraq both poses a continuing threat to the national 
security of the United States and international peace and 
security in the Persian Gulf region and remains in mate-
rial and unacceptable breach of its international obliga-
tions by, among other things, continuing to possess and 
develop a significant chemical and biological weapons ca-
pability, actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability, 
and supporting and harboring terrorist organizations;
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Whereas Iraq persists in violating resolutions of the United 
Nations Security Council by continuing to engage in bru-
tal repression of its civilian population thereby threat-
ening international peace and security in the region, by 
refusing to release, repatriate, or account for non-Iraqi 
citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, including an Amer-
ican serviceman, and by failing to return property wrong-
fully seized by Iraq from Kuwait; 
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its capa-
bility and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction 
against other nations and its own people; 
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its con-
tinuing hostility toward, and willingness to attack, the 
United States, including by attempting in 1993 to assas-
sinate former President Bush and by firing on many 
thousands of occasions on United States and Coalition 
Armed Forces engaged in enforcing the resolutions of the 
United Nations Security Council; 
Whereas members of al Qaida, an organization bearing re-
sponsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, 
and interests, including the attacks that occurred on Sep-
tember 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq; 
Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international 
terrorist organizations, including organizations that 
threaten the lives and safety of American citizens; 
Whereas the attacks on the United States of September 11, 
2001, underscored the gravity of the threat posed by the 
acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by inter-
national terrorist organizations; 
Whereas Iraq’s demonstrated capability and willingness to 
use weapons of mass destruction, the risk that the cur-
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rent Iraqi regime will either employ those weapons to 
launch a surprise attack against the United States or its 
Armed Forces or provide them to international terrorists 
who would do so, and the extreme magnitude of harm 
that would result to the United States and its citizens 
from such an attack, combine to justify action by the 
United States to defend itself; 
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 au-
thorizes the use of all necessary means to enforce United 
Nations Security Council Resolution 660 and subsequent 
relevant resolutions and to compel Iraq to cease certain 
activities that threaten international peace and security, 
including the development of weapons of mass destruc-
tion and refusal or obstruction of United Nations weap-
ons inspections in violation of United Nations Security 
Council Resolution 687, repression of its civilian popu-
lation in violation of United Nations Security Council 
Resolution 688, and threatening its neighbors or United 
Nations operations in Iraq in violation of United Nations 
Security Council Resolution 949; 
Whereas Congress in the Authorization for Use of Military 
Force Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102–1) has 
authorized the President ‘‘to use United States Armed 
Forces pursuant to United Nations Security Council Res-
olution 678 (1990) in order to achieve implementation of 
Security Council Resolutions 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 
666, 667, 669, 670, 674, and 677’’; 
Whereas in December 1991, Congress expressed its sense 
that it ‘‘supports the use of all necessary means to 
achieve the goals of United Nations Security Council 
Resolution 687 as being consistent with the Authoriza-
tion of Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution
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(Public Law 102–1),’’ that Iraq’s repression of its civilian 
population violates United Nations Security Council Res-
olution 688 and ‘‘constitutes a continuing threat to the 
peace, security, and stability of the Persian Gulf region,’’ 
and that Congress, ‘‘supports the use of all necessary 
means to achieve the goals of United Nations Security 
Council Resolution 688’’; 
Whereas the Iraq Liberation Act (Public Law 105–338) ex-
pressed the sense of Congress that it should be the policy 
of the United States to support efforts to remove from 
power the current Iraqi regime and promote the emer-
gence of a democratic government to replace that regime; 
Whereas on September 12, 2002, President Bush committed 
the United States to ‘‘work with the United Nations Se-
curity Council to meet our common challenge’’ posed by 
Iraq and to ‘‘work for the necessary resolutions,’’ while 
also making clear that ‘‘the Security Council resolutions 
will be enforced, and the just demands of peace and secu-
rity will be met, or action will be unavoidable’’; 
Whereas the United States is determined to prosecute the 
war on terrorism and Iraq’s ongoing support for inter-
national terrorist groups combined with its development 
of weapons of mass destruction in direct violation of its 
obligations under the 1991 cease-fire and other United 
Nations Security Council resolutions make clear that it is 
in the national security interests of the United States 
and in furtherance of the war on terrorism that 
allrelevant United Nations Security Council resolutions 
be enforced, including through the use of force if nec-
essary; 
Whereas Congress has taken steps to pursue vigorously the 
war on terrorism through the provision of authorities and
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funding requested by the President to take the necessary 
actions against international terrorists and terrorist orga-
nizations, including those nations, organizations or per-
sons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the 
terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or 
harbored such persons or organizations; 
Whereas the President and Congress are determined to con-
tinue to take all appropriate actions against international 
terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those na-
tions, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, 
committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on 
September 11, 2001, or harbored such persons or organi-
zations; 
Whereas the President has authority under the Constitution 
to take action in order to deter and prevent acts of inter-
national terrorism against the United States, as Congress 
recognized in the joint resolution on Authorization for 
Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40); and 
Whereas it is in the national security of the United States 
to restore international peace and security to the Persian 
Gulf region: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This joint resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Authoriza-
tion for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq’’.
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SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES DIPLOMATIC EF-
FORTS. 
The Congress of the United States supports the ef-
forts by the President to—
(1) strictly enforce through the United Nations 
Security Council all relevant Security Council resolu-
tions applicable to Iraq and encourages him in those 
efforts; and 
(2) obtain prompt and decisive action by the 
Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its 
strategy of delay, evasion and noncompliance and 
promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Se-
curity Council resolutions. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES 
ARMED FORCES. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The President is authorized to 
use the Armed Forces of the United States as he deter-
mines to be necessary and appropriate in order to—
(1) defend the national security of the United 
States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; 
and 
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security 
Council resolutions regarding Iraq. 
(b) PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION.—In connection 
with the exercise of the authority granted in subsection 
(a) to use force the President shall, prior to such exercise
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or as soon thereafter as may be feasible, but no later than 
48 hours after exercising such authority, make available 
to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 
President pro tempore of the Senate his determination 
that—
(1) reliance by the United States on further 
diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either (A) 
will not adequately protect the national security of 
the United States against the continuing threat 
posed by Iraq or (B) is not likely to lead to enforce-
ment of all relevant United Nations Security Council 
resolutions regarding Iraq; and 
(2) acting pursuant to this resolution is con-
sistent with the United States and other countries 
continuing to take the necessary actions against 
international terrorists and terrorist organizations, 
including those nations, organizations or persons 
who planned, authorized, committed or aided the 
terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 
2001. 
(c) WAR POWERS RESOLUTION REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) SPECIFIC
STATUTORY
AUTHORIZATION.—
Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers 
Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is 
intended to constitute specific statutory authoriza-
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as meeting the requirements of section 3 of Public Law 
102–1.
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