On the recordMay 16, 2019
Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Senate's failure to meet its constitutional obligation and conduct effective oversight of what seems to me and many others to be this administration's inexorable march toward war with Iran. This week, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration is making plans to deploy 120,000 American troops to the Middle East in anticipation of a confrontation with Iran. It is no secret that some of the President's closest advisers are focused on regime change and possibly military engagement with Iran. I was encouraged by a story in the Washington Post that was posted last night. The headline of that story read as follows: ``Trump, frustrated by advisers, is not convinced the time is right to attack Iran.'' That was the headline in the version of the story reported by four Washington Post reporters. In pertinent part, the story indicated that the President thinks his advisers ``could rush the U.S. into a military confrontation with Iran.'' Then it goes on to further state that ``Trump prefers a diplomatic approach to resolving tensions.'' I am encouraged by that, but we have to be vigilant when it comes to this issue and the broader issue of the use of force. The plans that I mentioned before referred to by the New York Times apparently were submitted by Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan.…





