Anna Eshoo: “I thank my colleague, Mr. Khanna, for yielding. I rise in strong support of amendment 423, and I want to thank all of…”

“I thank my colleague, Mr. Khanna, for yielding. I rise in strong support of amendment 423, and I want to thank all of the Members who have worked so hard on this. I am proud to have written legislation in early April of this year, the Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act, which enjoys 79 cosponsors and prohibits the President from using any funding appropriated by Congress to take military action in or against Iran without authorization from Congress. This amendment mirrors and complements that legislation by prohibiting the use of any funding in this year's NDAA to carry out unauthorized military attacks against Iran. It is very important to have this amendment on the floor because the Trump administration seems determined to provoke military confrontation with Iran, and the President and his hawkish advisers have publicly stated that they don't need authorization from Congress to carry out preemptive attacks. They are wrong. The U.S. Constitution is clear. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the sole authority to declare war, allowing the American people to decide, through their Representatives in Congress, whether military action is in the best interest of the country. We carry no grief for Iran, not one of us, but this amendment should pass. The Acting CHAIR. Members are reminded to heed the gavel.”