WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after voting on a War Powers Resolution that stipulates any further United States participation in hostilities against Iran must be stopped unless they are explicitly authorized by Congress:
“The Minnesota servicemembers stationed in the region and those stuck trying to find a way to evacuate are in my thoughts. Our prayers are with White Bear Lake’s Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor and her family, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.
“We’ve been plunged into yet another dangerous, risky, and costly war in the Middle East with these strikes on Iran. The President has put tens of thousands of servicemembers and U.S. civilians in the region at risk. Every single American is less safe when we engage in open warfare with a terrorist regime like Iran. Nothing they told me in the classified briefing to Senators reassured me about their plan nor justified why this Administration decided to take such a serious risk. That is why I pushed the Senate to use our Constitutional power to put a halt on any further hostilities in Iran, and why I voted in favor of the War Powers Resolution.
“The Iranian government is an evil terrorist regime, and I am in full support of the Iranian people’s fight for democracy. But when I talk to Minnesotans, a lot of people tell me this isn’t what they voted for. The President campaigned on ending wars, but now he’s started a new one. So, we are all left wondering why we’re entering a costly war that nobody seems to be able to justify while most people here at home are barely able to afford their lives.”
Senator Smith cosponsors the resolution under the War Powers Act. If passed and signed into law, it would have prohibited the use of the U.S. military for hostilities in Iran. It would not prevent the U.S. from defending itself or Israel from an Iranian attack. The vote failed 47-53. At least six American servicemembers have been killed in the war.
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