On the recordJanuary 30, 2020
I thank Mr. Engel for yielding. We can agree Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, but let's also agree that diplomacy is preferred, instead of armed conflict. But the question today is not whether to go to war but who has the power to make that decision. Mr. Speaker, our family was blessed when my son, a United States marine war veteran, came home safely from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but too many loved ones were not that lucky. So when I came to Congress, I made a promise never to send someone else's child to a war that could be avoided. The constitutional law gives Congress, not the President, the sole power to declare and authorize war, and it is time that Congress owns up to that grave responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to have the courage to repeal the war authorization against Iraq and tell the President no war against Iran without our consent. Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz), a U.S. Army veteran and decorated Special Forces officer with 23 years of service, including combat tours in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
