On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Continues to Press the President to End the Iran War

WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE WASHINGTON — On the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) delivered remarks once again pressing President Trump to end the war in Iran. This is the 13th resolution that Klobuchar has voted for to end the war. Senator Klobuchar: Mr. President, I rise today to urge the Senate to assert its constitutional authority and to demand accountability for the grave costs that service members, our families, and the American people have shouldered because of the President's war in Iran. After more than six months–six months–it is clear that the President had no plan when the war started, and has no plan for how to end it. To be clear, Iran is a terrorist state and should never have a nuclear weapon. And the regime's aggression in the region and repression of Iranian citizens must end. That's why I've long supported sanctions against Iran, as well as the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by President Obama and our allies. And I oppose President Trump's decision to take us out of that agreement. Our ultimate goal must be peace in the region. But more than six months into this conflict, American service members have been killed, including my constituent, Master Sergeant Nicole Amor, who was among those killed by an Iranian strike on a U.S. facility in Kuwait on March 1st. Innocent civilians across the region have also been killed, and the costs keep mounting. Beyond the toll on human life, the cost of the war to taxpayers is staggering. The Pentagon recently estimated that it has already spent $42 billion dollars on this unauthorized war so far. $42 billion. This is money that could be used to expand child care or to restore healthcare premium tax credits to help millions of Americans who have seen their premiums, healthcare premiums double or triple this year, or how about the 8 million people who just this last year have given up coverage entirely? That $40 billion that could have extended the tax credits to help people afford their insurance premiums for over a year, and now the president is asking for $70 billion more. That's two more years of those tax credits. As a result of this war, American families continue to face spiking gas prices, costing consumers more than $800 per family in higher gas and diesel costs. American people, outside of what I just outlined-that the Pentagon has spent of their taxpayer money-have spent over $100 billion on this war in higher prices. In Minnesota, gas prices are up more than $1.50 since the day before the war started. Diesel prices, right as farmers are going to harvest have doubled across the country. These higher fuel prices also make trucking, in addition to farming and freight, more expensive, hitting families and small businesses over and over again when you add to that the tariffs. That is why Congress must step up and assert our authority under the Constitution. Congress did not authorize this war, and more than six months in, Congress still has not authorized this war. Six months in. And our colleagues on the other side of the aisle keep just giving up their authority. Why even come here? Why even take this job if you're going to just let one president run over you and be able to make his own calls and just say, "Hey, we're going to a war. It's going to cost the American people over $100 billion. It's going to spike up prices across the country. Innocent people are going to be killed, and then we're going to lose soldiers at the same time.” In fact, both houses of Congress have passed resolutions to stop this unauthorized war. I have voted a dozen times to stop this war unless Congress passes an authorization, and I will continue to vote that way until Congress restores its role in decisions of war and peace. The American people are asking what this war has accomplished. Are we closer to a strong and stricter agreement to curtail Iran's nuclear ambitions? The answer is no. Are we now dealing with Iranian leaders who are less hardline? The answer is no. Have we preserved open shipping routes that are so important for trade? Answer no. It's time for the president to end this war. It's time to work to bring costs down for the American people and foster lasting peace in the region. This is our moment. I yield the floor. ###