The airstrike that killed Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and the subsequent tensions between the United States and Iran have sparked a new debate in Congress over the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against al Qaeda and Iraq. These nearly 20-year-old authorizations for war have been interpreted far too broadly by Republican and Democratic presidents alike. The AUMFs have been used as the justification for conducting military actions in several countries beyond what was originally intended, and it's time for Congress to repeal them.

The Framers of the Constitution knew the importance of the separation of powers. This is why they allocated specific responsibilities to each of the three branches of the federal government: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. Among the responsibilities given to the legislative branch is the power to authorize or declare war.