Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to the duration of authorizations of the use of force.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This joint resolution would add a constitutional time limit to future authorizations for use of military force outside the United States when Congress has not declared war. A post-ratification AUMF would cease to have effect on the earlier of five years after enactment or the termination date written into that authorization. The effect is to force Congress and the President to revisit long-running military authorities rather than letting open-ended AUMFs persist indefinitely.
Who Benefits and How
Congressional war powers committees benefit because future AUMFs would return for renewal instead of remaining open-ended. United States service members benefit from a constitutional mechanism that can reduce indefinite deployment authority. Antiwar advocacy organizations benefit from a regular sunset that creates leverage for public debate. Future lawmakers benefit from a clear renewal deadline for military authorizations.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The President loses flexibility to rely indefinitely on future AUMFs for overseas hostilities. Department of Defense planners must track sunset dates and plan for expiration or reauthorization. Combatant command staff may need contingency plans if an authorization expires during an operation. State legislatures must decide whether to ratify a constitutional limit on national security authority.
Key Provisions
- Creates a five-year constitutional sunset for future AUMFs outside the United States.
- Terminates an AUMF earlier if the authorization itself contains an earlier end date.
- Applies to post-ratification authorizations when no declaration of war is in effect.
- Requires renewed congressional action for continued hostilities after the sunset.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Proposes a constitutional amendment automatically sunsetting future authorizations for use of military force after five years unless they end earlier by their own terms.
Key Policy Areas
Defense, War Powers, Constitutional Amendment
Primary Purpose
Proposes a constitutional amendment automatically sunsetting future authorizations for use of military force after five years unless they end earlier by their own terms.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Congressional war powers committees
- United States service members
- Antiwar advocacy organizations
- Future lawmakers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- President of the United States
- Department of Defense planners
- Combatant command staff
- State legislatures
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional war powers committees, President of the United States
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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