On Sunday, U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) introduced an Authorization for Military Force (AUMF) resolution. If approved, President Joe Biden would have unilateral authority to use military force, including deploying U.S. troops, against Russia if it uses weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in its war against Ukraine.
In a press release, Kinzinger stated that the AUMF would draw “a clear red line” that Russia must not cross.
“I’m introducing this AUMF as a clear redline so the Administration can take appropriate action should Russia use chemical, biological, and/or nuclear weapons. We must stand up for humanity and we must stand with our allies,” Kinzinger wrote.
“As the President of the United States has said, Putin must be stopped. Accordingly, the Commander in Chief to the world’s greatest military should have the authority and means to take the necessary actions to do so,” Kinzinger added.
The congressman announced the resolution during an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation.
When asked if he thought it was too soon to be discussing the possible use of force in Ukraine, Kinzinger responded, “No, I don’t.”
“I don’t think we need to be using force in Ukraine right now. I just introduced an AUMF, an authorization for the use of military force, giving the president basically congressional leverage for permission to use it if WMDs — nuclear, biological or chemical — are used in Ukraine,” Kinzinger said.
He added that the resolution would give Biden leverage and deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Doesn’t compel the president to do it. It just says, if it is used, he has that leverage. It gives him, you know, a better flexibility, but also it is a deterrent to Vladimir Putin,” Kinzinger said.
The resolution is titled “To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity of United States allies.”
It would allow President Biden to determine whether or not Russia has used WMDs, but it does not detail instructions on how the president should make the determination.
The bill also does not include a definitive end date and only says it will terminate once the “President certifies to Congress that the territorial integrity of Ukraine has been restored.”
The U.S. has authorized AUMFs in the past, including in 2001 after 9/11 and in 2002 for the Iraq War. The current AUMF is similar to the previous ones as it gives the president the authority to wage war against Russia in any way that he sees fit.
A couple of days before Congress held a vote on the 2002 AUMF, then-senator Biden gave a speech in which he downplayed the chance that President George W. Bush would use the initiative to start a war in Iraq.
“I will vote for this because we should be compelling Iraq to make good on its obligations to the United Nations,” Biden said. “Approving this resolution does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable.”