WATCH: Gillibrand Slams President Trump’s Reckless Iran War Ahead Of Senate Vote On Her War Powers Resolution

GILLIBRAND: “We were told this president would bring peace and lower prices. Instead, he gave us war and pain.” “This administration demands billions for wars abroad, then claims we can’t afford to improve our schools, repair our roads, or lower the cost of healthcare.” ***Watch Senator Gillibrand’s floor speech here *** Today in a speech from the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) slammed President Trump for his reckless, illegal war in Iran that has caused prices to skyrocket for working families and led to 18 American troops being killed. Gillibrand’s speech preceded the Senate’s vote on her War Powers Resolution that directs President Trump to remove the U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran unless military force is explicitly authorized by Congress. Senator Gillibrand’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below: M. President, I rise in support of my legislation to end President Trump’s unauthorized, illegal war with Iran. This war will go down as one of the greatest strategic failures in modern American history. It was launched without a clear plan, executed without a coherent strategy, and has become a costly, self-inflicted disaster. Every justification we were given for this conflict has proven hollow. We were told that Iran’s nuclear program would be eliminated. Instead, Iran still holds nuclear material—and its leaders may be more determined than ever to build a weapon. We were told that the Iranian regime would crumble. Instead, it now holds dangerous new leverage over the world’s energy supply in the Strait of Hormuz. We were told this president would bring peace and lower prices. Instead, he gave us war and pain. New York families are struggling to afford groceries and keep up with the rent. And what is President Trump doing? Pouring billions of tax dollars into an open-ended war in Iran. His reckless war is driving up monthly bills and making everyday life harder for working families. This administration demands billions for wars abroad, then claims we can’t afford to improve our schools, repair our roads, or lower the cost of healthcare. President Trump has made clear that he doesn’t factor in how Americans are doing financially. But the families I represent feel it every single day. Every time they fill the gas tank and watch the numbers climb, New Yorkers are being forced to pay a premium for this president’s instability. According to data from the Joint Economic Committee, the average New York family has paid an additional 432 dollars on gas alone since this war began. Statewide, that’s an extra 2 billion dollars at the pump. Let me repeat that: An extra 2 billion dollars. Nationwide, Americans have paid 60 billion dollars more on gas. Every time I go home, I hear from my constituents about their concerns. The cost of health care. The cost of gas. The cost to keep the lights on and put food on the table. Those are the conversations happening at kitchen tables across America. That is what we should be focused on here in Washington—not dropping bombs across the world. And let us not forget: there is also a human cost to this war that no dollar figure can capture. Our service members did not volunteer to be pawns in a chaotic, unauthorized war with no plan and no end in sight. Eighteen American heroes have already paid the ultimate price. Eighteen families have been shattered. Just last week, New York lost one of our own—Sergeant Angel Rampersad of Queens. Sergeant Rampersad was a true patriot who begged her mother to let her enlist the moment she was old enough. She served this country courageously and honorably for more than six years before she was killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan. Our service members take on one of the most dangerous jobs there is. In return, we owe them a sacred obligation: we do not send them into harm’s way without a clear mission, defined objectives, and the support of the American people. The president’s war with Iran is a betrayal of that obligation. New Yorkers—and all Americans—deserve better. So I ask my colleagues: how many more service members must we lose? How many more billions must families pay at the pump? How many more empty promises must be made from an out-of-control administration before this body finally acts? Under the Constitution, we have the power to end this war today. Let’s use it. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this resolution. Thank you. I yield back. ###