[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              THE MISSION IN HAITI MUST START IN CONGRESS

  (Mr. SKAGGS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, Sunday the administration received 
authorization from the U.N. Security Council for an American-led 
invasion to remove the military regime in Haiti. Unfortunately, there 
is no indication that the President will seek authorization from the 
only body the Constitution vests with the power to grant it: The U.S. 
Congress.
  Today my colleagues, Sherwood Boehlert and Richard Durbin, and I are 
introducing a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the 
President is required to obtain the approval of Congress before sending 
United States forces into Haiti to implement the U.N. resolution.
  The purpose of this resolution is quite simple. Under the 
Constitution, Congress has the power and the responsibility to decide 
when this country will commence a war or lead an invasion of another 
country. In our rush to change the government in Haiti, let us not lose 
sight of how we are supposed to govern the United States.
  If the President can make the case for an invasion of Haiti, and the 
Congress gives him authority to proceed, the country will be united 
behind the effort. If, on the other hand, the case cannot be made and 
the support is not there, it is better to find out ahead of time.
  When President Bush made the case for expelling Saddam Hussein from 
Kuwait, the Congress gave its approval. The debate in Congress, and the 
decision by Congress, strengthened the President's hand. Following the 
Constitution worked as the Founding Fathers intended.
  We now have a similar constitutional challenge, and I urge my 
colleagues to join in affirming our constitutional duty. It would be a 
bad bargain indeed if we damaged democracy in America while attempting 
to restore it in Haiti.

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