Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a bill I am introducing today. This bill is called the Preventing Endless Armed Conflicts and Engagement Act, otherwise known as the PEACE Act. The Constitution makes it clear that the authority to declare war rests with Congress, and it is important that Members of Congress have the opportunity to carry out our duty to regularly review current military engagements. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Today, less than a fifth of the current Members of Congress voted on the 2001 and 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force. This statistic ignores the many Members of Congress who have been elected and since left who never got a chance to weigh in on the Authorization for Use of Military Force. It is critical that new Members of Congress with new constituencies do their duty and provide input into military operations. It is my hope that the PEACE Act can ensure regular oversight is being conducted on future military authorizations. First, this bill would require each military authorization, called an AUMF, to sunset after 2 years. Now, why 2 years? Well, obviously, it would give each Member of Congress and, therefore, the people they represent the opportunity to review and weigh in on ongoing conflicts. The President, of course, has the authority to deploy military forces in an emergency and respond to imminent threats, and that would continue under this bill.…”