NEWS: Senate Moves to Curtail Iran War Powers

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate advanced a War Powers Resolution to force an end to President Trump’s war with Iran. The resolution was led by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). Recent polls continue to show widespread disapproval of the war against Iran. “The Senate today cast a critical vote to have a long-delayed debate on President Trump’s war on Iran,” said Senator Schiff. “I am thankful that my Republican colleagues have joined in bringing our War Powers Resolution to the Floor and exercising our constitutional responsibility to declare war – or choose to end this conflict. After 80 days, there is still no strategy, no clear objectives, and no explanation to the American people as to why they should shoulder the extreme costs of this war – in lives lost, higher prices and long-term damage to our national security.” “President Trump’s deeply unpopular war of choice in Iran has imposed a tremendous cost on the American people—including deaths and injuries of our servicemembers and soaring gas prices,” said Senator Kaine. “For several weeks, my colleagues and I have been forcing votes in the Senate to ensure we have a real debate about whether it’s in our national interest to continue this war. I’m grateful that today, enough of my colleagues stood up for the Constitution and listened to their constituents. This sends a strong message to President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Rubio, and the rest of the Cabinet that the American people aren’t interested in more war in the Middle East.” “Vote by vote, Democrats are breaking through Republicans’ wall of silence on Trump’s illegal war,” said Leader Schumer. “For more than 80 days, Trump has dragged America into a costly, chaotic conflict with no plan, no objective, and no legal authority. Today proved our pressure is working: Republicans are starting to crack, and momentum is building to check him. We are not letting up.” “I’ve been proud to work with my Senate Democratic colleagues to use every tool and power we have in the Senate to stop this war, and tonight, we secured the first real step towards ending it,” said Senator Booker . “We will keep speaking up and standing with the American people as we continue the work to advance this War Powers Resolution. To the American people: your voices are being heard, don’t give up. To my colleagues across the aisle who failed to support this measure: join us in this effort to finally put an end to this costly and unconstitutional military adventurism that is undermining our nation’s security and costing your constituents and the American people dearly.” “After 80 long days of chaos and rising costs, it’s about time enough Republicans came to their senses and helped us advance this basic effort to rein in this President’s illegal war,” said Senator Duckworth . “Just today, Donald Trump said he was hours away from striking Iran again before backing down—the ramblings of an incompetent President with no coherent strategy or end game to get us out of this conflict he created. The American people are sick and tired of footing the bill for a war Trump promised he wouldn’t start. Enough, soon Republicans will have the chance to fulfill their Constitutional duty and vote to end this illegal war that has already cost $29 billion and 14 of our troops’ lives.” “Americans didn’t want this war of choice,” said Senator Baldwin . “They didn’t want 13 service members to lose their lives. And they certainly didn’t want these higher prices. Finally, after weeks of pleading with our Republican colleagues to listen to their constituents and do their constitutional duty, we earned the support we need to rein in this reckless war.? It’s overdue, but this is the first step toward stopping this illegal war.” “The Founding Fathers were really intentional in lodging the war making power not in the executive branch, but in the legislative branch,” said Senator Murphy. “There are few questions we confront that are more serious than when we send our men and women to die overseas, when we decide to expend such a sizable amount of our hard-earned taxpayers’ money on military operations. It should not, it cannot, be simply one individual who makes those decisions.” “The fastest way to end the war in Iran is to stop digging this hole even deeper,” said Senator Van Hollen. “This war is only making our nation less safe and driving up costs for the American people. After 80 days at war, Americans are calling out louder than ever for Congress to put an end to it, and following today’s vote, we’re one step closer to doing that.” “We can’t keep putting the cost of this war in Iran on American families. We’ve had enough of this war and its cost,” said Senator Kim . “We can do something about it, right here, right now. We can pass this War Powers Resolution, and bring this illegal war to an end — and give American families the long overdue relief they need.” “President Trump’s war of choice against Iran should be called ‘Operation Epic Failure,’” said Senator Merkley. “The Trump Administration refuses to give Congress straight answers about the war, is demonstrating dangerous incompetence, and continues to mislead the American people about the realities of this war and all that it has failed to accomplish. We must end Trump’s illegal Iran war, and Democrats will keep fighting to do just that.” ###