On the recordJanuary 30, 2020
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. When I led marines in Iraq, they asked me a lot of questions. Some were simple, like: How do I send a letter home to my parents? Some were more difficult, like: What kind of rocket do I need to use against this building? But the single hardest question I got was: Sir, why are we here? It came from marines of all backgrounds, all political stripes. And it was rooted in the fact that we got to Iraq care of a President who used false intelligence and a Congress that failed to do its job. Too many Americans died in Iraq because we did not fulfill our constitutional responsibility. Now, nothing in this amendment takes away the Commander in Chief's ability to defend ourselves; in fact, it cites the War Powers Resolution. But it does make it very clear that Congress has not authorized the President to go to war with Iran. That is a message that we need to send today.





