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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
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speech of
HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE
of texas
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 11, 2019
The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of
the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2500) to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for military
activities of the Department of Defense and for military
construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for
such fiscal year, and for other purposes:
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Chair, I rise to speak in support of Amendment
No. 423 to H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act for
FY2020, offered by the gentleman from California, Congressman Ro
Khanna.
The Khanna Amendment is simple and straightforward in its prohibition
against unauthorized military force in or against Iran.
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration sent an aircraft carrier
and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region in a show of force.
The Khanna Amendment would make clear and explicit that nothing in
the FY2020 NDAA can be construed as congressional authorization or
acquiescence regarding the use of military force against Iran.
The Framers understood that while the military does the fighting, the
entire nation goes to war.
That is why the Framers lodged the power to declare war in the
Congress, the branch of government closest to the people.
They knew that the decision to go to war was too important to be left
to the whim of a single person, no matter how wise or well-informed he
or she might be.
The President must consult with Congress and to obtain an AUMF before
undertaking any military offensive against Iran.
Over the last 18 years, we have seen 3 Presidents use the 2001
Afghanistan AUMF as a blank check to engage in serious military action.
In 2016, the Congressional Research Service issued a report detailing
37 unclassified uses of this authorization in 14 countries, including
for operations at Guantanamo Bay, warrantless wiretapping, and recent
military action in Libya, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen.
The overly broad 2001 AUMF represents a critical deterioration of
Congressional oversight, which should be repealed, rather than repeated
with respect to Iran.
As our brave service members are deployed around the world in combat
zones, Congress is missing in action.
As provided under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, absent a
Congressional declaration of war or authorization for the use of
military force, the President as Commander-in-Chief has constitutional
power to engage the U.S. armed forces in hostilities only in the case
of a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States,
its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.
As a co-equal branch of government, it is Congress's right and
responsibility to be fully consulted regarding any potential plans to
conduct military operations in Iran, to assess whether such action is
in the national security interest of the United States and its allies,
and to withhold or grant authorization for the use of military force
based on this assessment.
As we have learned from the painful and bitter experience of the past
18 years, at the initiation of hostilities, the costs in terms of blood
and treasure of U.S. military interventions abroad are often
underestimated and the benefits overstated.
For example, more than 6,800 American service members gave the last
full measure of devotion to their country on battlefields in
Afghanistan and Iraq, with hundreds of thousands more returning with
physical, emotional, or psychological wounds that may never heal.
The direct economic cost of the war in Afghanistan exceeds $1.07
trillion, including $773 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations
funds, an increase of $243 billion to the Department of Defense base
budget, and an increase of $54.2 billion to the Veterans Administration
budget to address the human costs of the military involvement in
Afghanistan.
We should not repeat the mistakes of the past and my position on this
issue is directly aligned with the will of the American people.
I commend my colleague, Congressman Khanna for offering this
important amendment and urge all Members to join me in voting for the
amendment and restoring Congress's preeminent constitutional role in
the decision to take the nation to war.
____________________
