Former Bush administration Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former Obama administration Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson jointly criticized the legal framework underpinning the War on Terror, urging lawmakers to dismantle and rebuild the post-9/11 authorities that have defined counterterrorism policy for over two decades.

Gonzales and Johnson, officials who implemented these powers during their respective administrations, called for scrapping the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF. This 60-word statute became the legal foundation for indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay, drone strikes across multiple countries, and enhanced interrogation techniques that critics describe as torture.

The joint statement represents an unusual bipartisan moment. Gonzales oversaw the legal justifications for CIA interrogation programs that produced techniques widely condemned as torture. Johnson defended the Obama administration's continued reliance on the AUMF despite campaign promises to close Guantanamo and wind down the War on Terror.

Their reversal signals growing establishment consensus that the AUMF granted excessive executive power without meaningful congressional oversight. The 2001 law authorized military force against al-Qaeda and associated groups but became the basis for operations against entities that barely existed two decades ago.

The former officials did not provide detailed alternatives. However, their willingness to acknowledge overreach carries weight given their direct involvement in expanding counterterrorism authorities. The AUMF remains the legal basis for ongoing military operations in Iraq, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen, among other locations.

Congress has repeatedly attempted to repeal or replace the AUMF. Bipartisan efforts have stalled due to disagreements over how extensively to tie the president's hands during counterterrorism operations. The Biden administration has opposed full repeal, preferring a modified version that maintains presidential flexibility.

The statements from Gonzales and Johnson add pressure on