// DEMAND 02 OF 10 — NON-NEGOTIABLE

NO NEW WARS

A moratorium on new military interventions and a restoration of Congress's exclusive war powers.

// JUSTIFICATION

Why this matters.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution vests the power to declare war exclusively in Congress. Since 1942, no formal declaration has been issued, yet U.S. forces have been deployed in active hostilities in dozens of countries under expansive readings of the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs). Repeal of the 1991 and 2002 Iraq AUMFs passed the Senate 66–30 in March 2023, demonstrating bipartisan support for restoring constitutional limits.

// ENFORCEMENT

Non-partisan in application.

The War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. §§ 1541–1548) already requires presidential notification within 48 hours and withdrawal within 60 days absent congressional authorization. We support strict enforcement of this existing statute and repeal of the open-ended 2001 AUMF. These are non-partisan structural reforms grounded in the constitutional text.

// IMPACT & TIMELINE

Measurable outcomes. Hard deadlines.

// EXPECTED IMPACT

Every avoided conflict saves an estimated $50–$100 billion in direct military expenditure and prevents thousands of service-member and civilian casualties. Repealing the 2001 AUMF closes the legal loophole that authorized 41 military operations in 19 countries. The Tracker tallies each new authorization introduced, each sunset amendment, and each deployment notification.

// TRACKER INTEGRATION

The Accountability Tracker records every vote on AUMF repeal, sunset amendments, and new military authorization bills. It also logs 48-hour war powers notifications and any House or Senate sign-on letters opposing unauthorized deployments. Candidates must have a 100% record against new open-ended authorizations to earn PAC support.

// MILESTONES
Year 1

Co-sponsor legislation to sunset the 2001 AUMF within 180 days and require affirmative votes for any new force authorization.

Year 2

Achieve majority House support for the AUMF repeal; score floor votes and committee markups.

Year 3–4

Senate passage and presidential signature; establishment of a permanent War Powers Compliance Office under GAO.

Year 5+

Zero new unauthorized deployments; every use of force backed by a specific, time-limited congressional resolution.

Paid for by The Front Line, an independent expenditure-only committee registered with the Federal Election Commission. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Sources cited are provided for reference and do not imply endorsement of The Front Line by the linked organizations.