On the recordFebruary 12, 2020
I am proud to rise in support of S.J. Res. 68, the Kaine-Lee resolution to ``remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military.'' This resolution is crucial at a momentous moment in our Nation's history. As U.S. Senators, we are no strangers to tough decisions. When this institution is functioning properly, we make such decisions all the time. There are tough questions, and we make tough decisions on which programs to fund or on who sits in judgment over their fellow citizens on the Federal bench or on issues of civil rights or equality or fairness. Yet, without doubt, the most difficult decision any Senator will ever face is whether to authorize war--whether to, through such authorization, open the gates to send the men and women of our Armed Forces into harm's way. It is a solemn responsibility that all of us here take very seriously, and it is a responsibility that the Founding Fathers intended to rest solely here in the Congress of the United States of America, not down Pennsylvania Avenue, in the White House, not in the hands of any one person sitting in the Oval Office.…





