Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 71. As a Gold Star son who lost his father in the Vietnam war, I understand firsthand the human cost of war. I also know my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Crane) knows that cost, as well, as a veteran of our armed services, and I honor that. That is why, since I came to Congress, I have worked in a bipartisan fashion to repeal and replace the 2001 AUMF and have consistently supported the repeal of the 2002 Iraq war AUMF, as well. I wish we had been able to get that legislation through the Senate last Congress, but I remain hopeful that we can do so this year. All of this is to say that I do not have a hawkish position on Iraq, but sanctions and military force are not the same thing. Again, sanctions and military force are not the same thing. Terminating the national emergency with respect to Iraq would trigger the immediate release of currently sanctioned assets of persons who the U.S. Government has determined are a threat to Iraq's stability and reform efforts, including terrorists and others who have committed acts of terrible violence. This is not an exaggeration. Numerous Shia militia fighters and ISIS terrorists are sanctioned under the Iraq program. The Iraq executive order is reviewed every year.…”