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[Page H15]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AIRSTRIKE AGAINST GENERAL SOLEIMANI
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, in response to a successful, precise
United States airstrike against Iranian terrorist General Soleimani, a
strike that was carefully thought out, that was vetted, that was
carefully planned by our President, the Secretary of State, White House
leadership, and the Pentagon, my Democrat colleagues are threatening to
force a vote to restrict our President's ability to exercise his
constitutional powers as Commander in Chief and, thus, place more
American lives at risk.
Listen, I don't want a war. The President doesn't want a war. Many,
many Kansans I have talked to, they don't want any more American lives
lost in an endless war in the Middle East. But what Kansans do want is
a President who draws a red line and actually means it, that if you
harm an American or any American interests, we will respond swiftly,
decisively, and, yes, disproportionately.
For Kansans, it is pure and simple common sense that the American
President protect our country, protect our people from imminent threats
posed by those who seek to do us harm. If you are a known terrorist who
has brutality murdered hundreds of American soldiers and is actively
planning to kill more Americans, our leaders, our President has the
authority to quickly stop that threat by any means necessary. This
power is a core executive function of the Commander in Chief under
Article II of the Constitution.
This resolution that may be offered by Democrats today--and I say
``may.'' It sounds like now they are back-walking it, that they have
probably done some type of a polling or some type of a study group that
says this is not going to poll very well. But they have been
threatening to offer a resolution that would undermine the President's
ability to swiftly respond to Iran and its proxies' acts of aggression
against our Nation and our interests. In other words, it would
undermine the President's ability to protect our homeland and protect
the American people.
By eliminating Soleimani, President Trump took decisive action to
protect Americans and to rid the world of an evil terrorist who was
actively planning more death and destruction. The President was doing
his job to deescalate a very tense situation, to save American lives,
and was damn right to do so. We are all safer today.
Speaker Pelosi's Refusal to Transmit Articles of Impeachment
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, after the unprecedented impeachment witch
hunt conducted in the Chamber this past year, Speaker Pelosi has still
not transmitted the sham Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. This
would seem to fly in the face of common sense, the Constitution, and
precedent.
It is not just Republicans who have been saying how ridiculous this
is. Speaker Pelosi's refusal to transmit the articles is now coming
under scrutiny from her own fellow Democrats in the Senate. One Senator
said, ``She should send the articles over''; another, ``Let us do what
we have to do over here''; and, finally, a third Democratic Senator,
``I'm hoping they will come over here soon. I think most people are
ready to get this moving on.''
The only thing that Speaker Pelosi's 3-week charade has done is show
the public the weakness of Democrats' case and show, indeed, he has not
been given a safe political process and it is all for theater.
Please, Ms. Pelosi, please, Speaker Pelosi, allow the Senate to get
on with the people's work: to pass USMCA, to lower healthcare costs,
and to improve our infrastructure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their
remarks to the Chair.
____________________