On the recordSeptember 18, 2014
when we head to the Senate floor, we make choices. We first choose how to get here--whether to take the subway or walk. We choose whether to stop and talk to a colleague or two along the way. We also choose whether to speak to the press, and normally there are plenty of reporters available to speak to. I and many of my colleagues are often picky about who we talk to. I like talking to reporters just fine, but my staff gets a little nervous. Last week, after coming out of the secure briefing on the situation in the Middle East, I went up to the first reporter I saw, because in that briefing no one asked how much this war with ISIL would cost or how we were going to pay for it. At the end of the briefing I asked those questions myself. But it is telling that no one up to that point and time had voiced their concerns about costs, which leads me to ask: Are we putting another war in the Middle East on a credit card? Will it be added to our debt? Will our grandchildren once again have to pay for our choices today? I also asked what domestic programs will be cut if this war is an unpaid war. Will they cut improvements to our highways, Head Start, Violence Against Women Act funding? We are not having a real debate. We will be voting on whether to authorize the training of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State. Earlier this year the President told us this would cost about $500 million.…
