Bill Lee: “First, let me thank Mr. Visclosky for yielding. I also thank him for his tremendous leadership as our ranking member…”

“First, let me thank Mr. Visclosky for yielding. I also thank him for his tremendous leadership as our ranking member, and giving us all an opportunity to really voice our opinions and put our points of view forward in a very fair way. I rise in opposition to this bill, however. I offered two amendments to this bill, the fiscal year 2017 Defense Appropriations bill, and I am really disappointed to once again see that my amendments were not made in order. I want to explain these two amendments because this is the only chance that we will have to talk about this. The first amendment, which I have offered several times on a bipartisan basis, would prohibit the funding for the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, the AUMF, beginning on September 30, 2017. And mind you, that 6-month window provides Congress ample opportunity to draft and debate a new AUMF and to vote it up or down. Clearly, Congress is required to act. This amendment would require Congress to finally debate and vote on nearly a 3-year-long war that is raging in the Middle East, a war that has already claimed the lives of several brave servicemembers. The House simply cannot continue to abdicate its constitutional responsibility to give the American people a voice in matters of war and peace. I offered another amendment, which would prohibit funding for United States combat troops in Syria. Mr.…”