Zoe Lofgren: “I intend to vote for this resolution. Nearly every Member of Congress this week has said this: on Tuesday, September 11…”

“I intend to vote for this resolution. Nearly every Member of Congress this week has said this: on Tuesday, September 11, our country was brutally attacked. It was an act of war. It demands response. Under our Constitution, the President of the United States is commander in chief. When America is attacked, he assumes the obligations of the commander in chief. It does not matter whether the President is someone you voted for. Our country has only one President and only one commander in chief. This resolution authorizes the use of force by America. As a matter of law, the War Powers Act may not even require this resolution. The President likely already has the legal authority needed. But this afternoon most of us prayed together at the National Cathedral. At the end of the service, we stood together and we sang 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic.' As we sang, I could not help but recall that when 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' was written, our country was divided, and it was the last time on American soil when massive numbers of Americans died in war, until this Tuesday. At the end of the song, we sang, 'As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.' While this resolution may not be legally required, it is important to show that we are united; that when America is attacked, Americans stand together. Those who died on Tuesday will have died to make us free.”