Issue Position: National Defense

Issue Position

We must defend America first.

As the daughter and granddaughter of veterans, I understand that the men and women of the United States Armed Forces comprise the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. At times, our military has been one of the few sources of stability in a very unstable world.

That said, we cannot and should not be the world's police force, and our fighting men and women should never be put in harm's way without a clear objective, supported by the American people and in support of their one fundamental mission: protecting America.

Congress has allowed this President to engage in military adventures without congressional approval, and that needs to end. The Constitution places in Congress--not the President--the exclusive power to declare war. While the President may find it necessary, in an emergency, to send our men and women into harm's way without prior congressional approval, that approval must be sought and acquired concurrently with the deployment or immediately thereafter.

We need to re-build and re-shape our power to project force abroad as the surest way to back up our diplomacy and thereby guarantee the peace. We also need to develop and deploy a missile defense system capable of protecting our citizens and our power grids here at home.

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