War Powers Resolution

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I join many of my colleagues today in mourning the loss of our servicemembers who have been killed in action in the Mideast, and I am thinking of those who have been wounded. Their sacrifice is a tragic reminder of the gravity of war and why the consequential decision of declaring war requires debate and authorization from Congress.

We must pass Senator Kaine's resolution, which we will be considering tomorrow, to rein in the President because, under the U.S. Constitution, it is Congress, not the President, who has the power to declare war. The President unilaterally, with no authorization from Congress and without a clear justification of any imminent need for war, has gone to war with Iran, and he has done so without laying out a strategic plan or a path forward.

This military campaign has put American troops at serious risk. We have publicly learned--in addition to the classified briefing that I attended today with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War and the Director of the CIA, we have learned publicly that this is escalating, and we have seen the results even so far. American servicemembers and innocent civilians have been killed. U.S. military bases have been hit. Our Embassies and allies have been attacked.

To be clear, Iran is a terrorist state, and it should never have a nuclear weapon, and the regime's aggression in the region and its oppression of Iranian citizens must end. That is why I have long supported serious sanctions against Iran, why I voted for funding for the Defense Department, and why I supported the Iran nuclear agreement. It wasn't perfect--far from perfect--but I supported that agreement because of our goal--our major foreign policy goal--to assure that Iran did not have a nuclear weapon.

I opposed President Trump's decision a few years back to take us out of that agreement. Even some of my colleagues who had not voted for the agreement to begin with, which I had, did not support the decision of taking us out of the agreement. Our ultimate goal must be peace in the region--and we know all too well that wars for regime change can lead to unintended consequences for years and decades to come. As we see what is happening, we believe--many of us--that Congress should have this ultimate authorization. Not having a plan is not only dangerous for the United States, it is dangerous for our partners and our allies abroad.

This military campaign has introduced increased chaos and danger throughout the region. Military action of this size and scope must be paired with a plan that takes into account the long-term impacts of war and sets achievable goals that do not unnecessarily endanger our troops and innocents. That is not what has happened here. The President has acknowledged that they do not have a clear plan of who will be taking over this nation of tens of millions of people.

That is why I am on the Senate floor today. The American people don't want another war--an endless war--that puts our troops at great risk. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution and stand up for the institution in which we serve and stand up for the people we represent.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source