US Senate moves closer to vote on repealing past Iraq war authorizations -Schumer

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. soldier stands guard during a peace conference in al-Zawra amusement park in Baghdad November 7, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would take the first procedural steps later on Tuesday toward a vote on repealing two authorizations for past wars in Iraq, days before the 20th anniversary of the last invasion by American troops.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week approved a bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against Iraq, the latest attempt to reassert Congress' role in deciding whether to send troops into combat.