[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELAINE G. LURIA

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 30, 2020

  Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, on January 30, 2020, I was absent from the 
House chamber due to my presence at my mother-in-law's funeral. Had I 
been present and voting, I would have opposed both amendments to H.R. 
550.
  As a 20-year Navy veteran who served in the Middle East and is 
currently serving a district in Hampton Roads, where one in five 
residents is active duty, a veteran, or an immediate family member, I 
took this decision very seriously and personally. From our district, 
the Harry S. Truman Canier Shike Group, the Bataan Amphibious Readiness 
group, and approximately ten thousand sailors and marines are deployed 
to the Middle East defending our national security interests.
  The use of military force must be a last resort after all other 
options are exhausted. However, a strong presence in the Middle East is 
necessary to send the message that America is committed to ending 
Iran's malicious activities and to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear 
capabilities.
  Under the Constitution, only Congress has the authority and power to 
declare war. Unfortunately, the pieces of legislation that we are 
debating do not address the underlying problem: that we are operating 
under a nearly two decade-old Authorization for the Use of Military 
Force (AUMF).
  Issues of life and death or war and peace should not be made on party 
lines using a procedural rule to silence the other side. We owe it to 
our troops to define their mission and take on the hard task of uniting 
as a governing body to replace the outdated AUMFs.
  Today, I would like to submit my opposition into the Congressional 
Record because if we must send more Americans to war, Congress has the 
responsibility to debate a new AUMF that will shape war and peace for 
decades to come.

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