Political Quotes

“4,487--4,487. That is the number of American servicemembers who perished in Iraq by the time the last combat troops departed in 2011, over a decade ago. Joining them are over 32,000 American servicemembers and civilians wounded in action and tens of thousands more who struggled--many to this very day--with everything from toxic burn pit exposure to PTSD. It is with these brave servicemembers and civilians in mind and their families and all who have been impacted by the war in Iraq that the Senate, today, votes to repeal the Iraq authorizations for use of military force from 2002 and 1991. The United States and Iraq--the entire world--have changed dramatically since 2002, and it is time the laws on the books caught up with those changes. These AUMFs have outlived their use. These repeals will not harm our servicemembers abroad nor will they hinder our ability to keep Americans safe. Every year we keep these AUMFs on the books is another chance for a future administration to abuse them. War powers belong in the hands of Congress so we have an obligation to prevent future Presidents from exploiting these AUMFs to bumble us into a new Middle East conflict. I am glad that repealing these AUMFs has been a bipartisan effort, and I hope this process can be--it should be--a blueprint for how the Senate works over the next few years. We will have amendments without being dilatory. We will have debate without stall tactics.…”