[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S64-S65]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  Iran

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night, the Department of Defense 
confirmed reports that Iran launched missiles at a number of our 
installations in Iraq that housed U.S. and coalition forces. As details 
continue to emerge, it appears that there have been no casualties. We 
commend the professionalism and bravery of our servicemembers and other 
personnel in harm's way.
  While we are thankful that there were no casualties and we are 
thankful for the safety of American forces and personnel in the region, 
I condemn the attack by the Iranian Government and remain concerned 
about the risk of further escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. 
Now, more than ever, the

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United States must be clear-headed and sure-footed about what comes 
next. The American people do not want a war with Iran, and the 
President does not have the authority to wage one.
  Yesterday, we learned that the President had ordered the deployment 
of at least as many as 4,500 soldiers to the region--potentially more. 
Beyond Iraq, the U.S. military now has more than 70,000 troops in the 
Middle East, from Kuwait to Qatar, to Afghanistan, to the UAE, to Saudi 
Arabia, to Jordan, Oman, and Bahrain.
  The President has promised to get the United States out of these 
forever wars in the Middle East, but the arrow is headed in the wrong 
direction.
  Mr. President, how many more is it going to be? How long will they 
remain abroad? What is their objective? How will we assure their 
safety? Will more be deployed in the weeks and months ahead?
  These are urgent questions. The administration must answer them. But 
so far, there has been a profound lack of information provided to 
Congress from the Department of Defense concerning what the Department 
is doing in response to Iran.
  So I join Senators Reed and Durbin in requesting regular briefings 
and documents from the administration detailing the number of troops 
the President has deployed and plans to deploy in support of 
contingency plans with respect to Iran. We need to know if the 
administration is committing additional troops to the region and for 
how long.
  Our letter urges the administration to clarify to the American people 
and our military that international law prohibits the deliberate 
targeting of cultural sites and that such an order would be unlawful 
and should not be followed.
  The American people, rightfully, have serious concerns about a war 
with Iran and whether we are safer today because of this President's 
foreign policy, which is so often impulsive and erratic. I am afraid 
these impulsive and erratic actions throughout the world are making us 
less safe.