Congress authorizes Gulf War against Iraq, first formal war authorization since World War II

Congress votes to authorize President George H.W. Bush to use military force against Iraq after Saddam Hussein''s invasion of Kuwait, marking the first formal congressional war authorization since World War II. The Senate votes 52-47 and the House 250-183. The narrow margins reflect genuine congressional debate over war powers — in contrast to the near-unanimous Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 27 years earlier. Bush argues he had independent constitutional authority as commander-in-chief but accepts congressional authorization as well. The 1991 AUMF and a 2002 AUMF authorizing the Iraq War become the centerpiece of a later debate about whether open-ended authorizations allow presidents to conduct military operations indefinitely without new legislative approval.