War on Terrorism Today Still Covered by 2001 Authorization, Say Mattis and Tillerson

(L to R) U.S. Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson take their seats as they arrive for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing concerning the authorization for use of military force, in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 30, 2017. As Mattis and Tillerson face questions about the administration's authority to use military force, Congress is still seeking more information about the deadly ambush that killed four U.S. troops in Niger. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Trump administration officials insist that the current U.S. military operations against ISIS and other terrorist groups are still covered by congressional authorizations that were passed in 2001-2002, dismissing the growing calls for the administration to seek a renewed authorization from Congress.

Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Oct. 30 that the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which Congress intended to be used against al-Qaeda and the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks, are still valid today in justifying the ongoing wars against ISIS and other terrorist groups.