Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) issued the following statement after voting in support of Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) bipartisan War Powers Resolution to limit the Trump Administration’s ability to take further military action against Iran without a debate and a vote in Congress.
“As members of Congress, our first priority is keeping the American people safe, which is why we must exercise our Constitutionally mandated oversight responsibilities before this Administration takes any more hostile action against Iran. Putting our troops in additional harm’s way is a serious decision that should be publicly debated. Furthermore, it’s just common sense that the President should be consulting with Congress, as well as with our diplomatic, intelligence, and military communities, and with our allies, to prevent the country from stumbling into actions that could do more harm to Americans and to America’s national security.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto is a cosponsor of Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) bipartisan War Powers Resolution, which requires any hostilities with Iran be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force, but does not prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack. She is also a cosponsor of Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) bill, the Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act of 2019, which requires congressional authorization for any further funding for military action against Iran.
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