Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement after voting for S.J.Res.104, a War Powers Resolution that would require President Trump to remove U.S. troops from waging war in or against Iran without explicit Congressional authority:
“For decades, the Iranian regime has sown chaos across the Middle East and funded proxies that killed U.S. troops. This regime must never acquire nuclear weapons. That is why I have backed strong measures to constrain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“My vote today for the War Powers Resolution does not result from wishful thinking about what the mullahs of Iran will do. It is to insist that the President adhere to our Constitution and its requirement that no President declare and wage war unilaterally.
“President Trump has launched this war without congressional authorization, an effort to build a coalition of allies, or the benefit of clear objectives that would arise from engaging Congress and our partners.
“President Trump’s administration, including my former colleague Marco Rubio, has stated repeatedly that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to attack Iran would put our troops and interests in harm’s way, in turn requiring us to bomb Iran. No American President should allow the United States to be pushed into war on any ally’s timetable or rationale.
“The American people’s continuing investment in our defense, the extraordinary innovation in our national security driven by our economy, and the bravery of our armed forces all mean the United States has the intelligence and military capabilities to act unilaterally, when we must. It can be alluring to do so. But that does not mean we should. As many examples from history inform us, we cannot manage the world’s challenges simply by dropping bombs.
“President Trump once declared that the United States is ‘not the policem[a]n of the world.’ Yet he has turned us into the world’s policeman, judge, jury, and executioner – all the while, draining vital resources necessary to deterring Beijing and Moscow. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin will profit from the costs of President Trump’s Middle East quagmire.
“For these reasons, I voted for today’s War Powers Resolution and, as a member of the Intelligence Committee, I will continue fighting against this reckless President’s adventurism as we defend our troops and the national security interests of the United States of America.”
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