On the recordJanuary 7, 2020
Madam President, I come to the floor today following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq, the airstrike that killed Iranian's terrorist mastermind. I fully support President Trump's decision. As Commander in Chief, I believe he had an obligation to do what he did to act when American lives were at stake. With the death of Iran's General Soleimani, the American people and people around the world are much safer. This general was an emboldened, blood-thirsty terrorist. He was a killer. He has the blood of countless people around the world on his hands. In the last 2 months, we have seen 11 attacks--11 attacks--on U.S. forces and bases, including the killing of an American citizen. He became bolder and more aggressive in both his actions and his ambitions, and he was stepping up his attacks on Americans. In fact, General Soleimani was at war with the United States his entire career, and it was a military career. He was the commander of Iran's terrorist network. In recent months, we watched as he personally directed brazen attacks on our Embassy and our personnel in Iraq. We knew that more attacks were coming, so the United States took action. Soleimani's death makes America safer in the long run. Taking out this war criminal will help us avoid war in the future. Let me be clear: I don't want war with Iran. The United States does not want war with Iran, but we know that appeasement does not work. The Obama administration's strategy of wishful thinking failed.…
Source
govinfo.gov




