Velázquez on War Powers Act Resolution

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) made the following remarks in advance of today's vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on the War Powers Act Resolution:

"This Administration's impulsive and reckless behavior has made our nation and the men and women of our armed forces less safe. It has heightened the risk of a conflict in the Middle East and it has jeopardized our relationship with our allies – both in the region and around the world.

"We should remember – not long ago, many Members of this body voted to ratify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the Iran deal. That agreement was working, it was accepted by the world and, most of all, it was containing Iran from securing nuclear weapons.

"President Trump and his Administration turned away from that agreement, setting off a chain reaction of events, which led to yesterday's attacks by Iran on American personnel who are serving in Iraq.

"We should be clear – no one in this body – Democrat or Republican - will mourn the loss of Soleimani. He was a monster who was responsible for horrible atrocities. However, we also have to question whether the actions taken by this Administration in killing him made our nation, our servicemembers and our allies safer or less safe.

"So where have the Trump Administration's policies brought us? The government of Iraq is asking U.S. forces to leave. After thousands of American lives were lost and billions of dollars spent, our ally in the fight against ISIS appears to be moving toward expelling U.S. troops.

"Iran has announced that it is resuming aggressive development of nuclear weapons. The people of Iran are coalescing behind their government, united in outrage from Solmenali's killing.

"The United States government needs a comprehensive, well-considered strategy for Iran. That strategy needs to be explained to Congress – and more importantly to the American people. The rationale for killing Soleimani must be fully and publicly explained. I believe the American people -- when they hear the evidence -- will agree that this action was not necessary to prevent an imminent attack.

"Most of all, we can no longer allow diplomacy and national security to be conducted through Twitter.

"The Resolution we will vote on today would prevent the Administration from pursuing additional military action against Iran without properly consulting Congress.

"We, as a nation, must learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot allow our country to ignite another war by conducing foreign policy in an irresponsible, impulsive manner.

"The young people wearing our uniform abroad count on us to be better. We have a moral obligation to the millions of innocent civilians living in the Middle East who could perish or lose loved ones or their homes if a broader conflict erupts.

"We must be better than this Administration has been. I urge my colleagues to support this Resolution when we vote later today."

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