[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 11, 2019

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2500) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Chair, I rise to support the amendment offered by 
Ms. Lee, which I was proud to cosponsor. I thank the gentlewoman for 
her leadership. There is no member of this body more principled and 
more passionate on this issue than the gentlewoman from California--no 
one who has spoken more forcefully on Congress's responsibility when it 
comes to war powers.
  Authorizing the Iraq War was a mistake--the worst vote I ever took as 
a member of the House of Representatives. We can't correct the error. 
But we must take back the authority granted to the Bush Administration 
in 2002 to go to war against Saddam Hussein's regime.
  This authorization simply isn't needed for any current military 
operations. It's just bad policy to keep it on the books.
  We've seen administration after administration misuse the other 
existing war authorization--the post-9/11 authorization. It's been 
stretched beyond anything Congress ever intended.
  We don't want to see this administration or any administration try to 
use the Iraq War authorization in the same manner--for some purpose 
Congress never intended.
  So, let's repeal it. Let's relegate it to the history books. That's 
what this amendment would do, and I'm glad to support it.

                          ____________________