Chris Coons: “I come to the floor to speak about our Nation's war against ISIS and why we must pay for it responsibly. As our Nation's…”

“I come to the floor to speak about our Nation's war against ISIS and why we must pay for it responsibly. As our Nation's Armed Forces continue their critical mission to degrade and destroy ISIS, which is already months underway, we need to consider another part of our strategy--paying for the war. This is not a new concept. Our Nation has a long history of paying for our military missions. In fact, every war since the Revolutionary War, to the first Gulf War, was paid for. Through each of our Nation's armed conflicts, new revenue streams not only provided the resources our military needed, they reminded the American people that our country was at war and we all needed to contribute to the effort. But after 14 years and 2 wars that have cost our Nation trillions of dollars, I fear we have forgotten this important lesson from our history. We cannot write another blank check for a war. Paying for a war against ISIS is the right thing to do. It is fiscally, morally, and militarily responsible. As we continue to debate this war authorization in Congress, we need to be honest with the American people and each other about what it will cost our Nation. That is why, as we debate the budget this week, I have offered an amendment that requires us to raise the revenue to pay for the fight against ISIS. The American people deserve no less.…”