[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020

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                               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 
Mr. Khanna, which I was proud to cosponsor.
  If the President wants to go to war, he needs to come to Congress 
first. The Constitution gives Congress--not the President--the power to 
declare war.
  This is about checks and balances. It does not prevent the President 
from defending America, it simply enforces current law exactly as it is 
written in the war powers resolution. There's no special category for 
Iran that allows the President to skip the critical step of coming to 
Congress.
  Iran is dangerous. I am not blind to the threat it poses to our 
allies and our interests, but addressing those threats need not lead us 
into another war. We need to de-escalate heightened tensions in the 
region, so we don't stumble into a conflict with Iran. Now is the time 
for Congress to step up and assert our constitutional authority.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

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