Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had blocked procedural attempts to speed debate on the annual defense policy legislation in order to force a vote on the amendment. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Senate to vote on Rand Paul war powers repeal

The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on a proposal by Sen. Rand Paul to repeal the 2001 and 2002 war resolutions.

A vote is anticipated to table — or kill — Paul's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to repeal the two authorizations for the use of military force, which provided the legal framework for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as military action in a slew of other countries.


The amendment would put an end to both war authorizations six months after the bill becomes law.

Paul (R-Ky.) had blocked procedural attempts to speed debate on the annual defense policy legislation in order to force a vote on the amendment. He has also threatened to block all other senators' amendments from receiving votes if the Senate leadership didn't grant him a vote.

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The measure has drawn support from members of both parties — including Democratic senators such as Tim Kaine of Virginia and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois — who argue that a vote on war powers is well past due. But the amendment is expected to draw fierce opposition from senators who oppose sunsetting the two authorizations without a replacement — and using the sprawling defense policy bill to do so.

On the Senate floor Tuesday, Paul said the missions for which the two war resolutions were passed are "long since over."

"I don't think that anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty believes that these authorizations from 16 years ago and 14 years ago ... authorized war in seven different countries," Paul said.

