Sunset of Public Law 107-243 Act of 2007

H.R. 2605, the Sunset of Public Law 107-243 Act of 2007, would have set a fixed expiration date for the legal authority used to launch the Iraq War. Specifically, it proposed to terminate the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq 180 days after the bill became law. While the bill allowed Congress the option to pass a new authorization or a formal declaration of war during that six-month window, its primary effect would have been to end the existing legal justification for the ongoing military presence in Iraq. For citizens, this bill represented a legislative effort to force a definitive congressional debate on whether to continue the war or begin a mandatory withdrawal of U.S. forces.