Today is the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War, and lawmakers from both parties are marking the day by taking steps to end related war authorizations.
In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, the U.S. struck Baghdad in 2003 in an effort to topple Saddam Hussein’s government. At the time there were fears he had weapons of mass destruction.
The goal was accomplished, but the weapons were never found.
The U.S. lost around 4,600 troops and Brown University estimates that the fighting cost $2 trillion.
However, then-Under Secretary of State John Bolton still argues the cost was worth it.
U.S. troops pulled out of the region in 2011. But Now Lawmakers fear never-ending war authorizations could be abused by future administrations.
In a 68-to-27 vote, senators advanced legislation last week to repeal the congressional green-lighting of both the Gulf and Iraq Wars.