[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S767-S768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I join many of my colleagues today in 
mourning the loss of our servicemembers who have been killed in action 
in the Mideast, and I am thinking of those who have been wounded. Their 
sacrifice is a tragic reminder of the gravity of war and why the 
consequential decision of declaring war requires debate and 
authorization from Congress.
  We must pass Senator Kaine's resolution, which we will be considering 
tomorrow, to rein in the President because, under the U.S. 
Constitution, it is Congress, not the President, who has the power to 
declare war. The President unilaterally, with no authorization from 
Congress and without a clear justification of any imminent need for 
war, has gone to war with Iran, and he has done so without laying out a 
strategic plan or a path forward.
  This military campaign has put American troops at serious risk. We 
have publicly learned--in addition to the classified briefing that I 
attended today with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War and 
the Director of the CIA, we have learned publicly that this is 
escalating, and we have seen the results even so far. American 
servicemembers and innocent civilians have been killed. U.S. military 
bases have been hit. Our Embassies and allies have been attacked.
  To be clear, Iran is a terrorist state, and it should never have a 
nuclear weapon, and the regime's aggression in the region and its 
oppression of Iranian citizens must end. That is why I have long 
supported serious sanctions against Iran, why I voted for funding for 
the Defense Department, and why I supported the Iran nuclear agreement. 
It wasn't perfect--far from perfect--but I supported that agreement 
because of our goal--our major foreign policy goal--to assure that Iran 
did not have a nuclear weapon.
  I opposed President Trump's decision a few years back to take us out 
of that agreement. Even some of my colleagues who had not voted for the 
agreement to begin with, which I had, did not support the decision of 
taking us out of the agreement. Our ultimate goal must be peace in the 
region--and we know all too well that wars for regime change can lead 
to unintended consequences for years and decades to come. As we see 
what is happening, we believe--many of us--that Congress should have 
this ultimate authorization. Not having a plan is not only dangerous 
for the United States, it is dangerous for our partners and our allies 
abroad.

  This military campaign has introduced increased chaos and danger 
throughout the region. Military action of this size and scope must be 
paired with a plan that takes into account the long-term impacts of war 
and sets achievable goals that do not unnecessarily endanger our troops 
and innocents. That is not what has happened here. The President has 
acknowledged that they do not have a clear plan of who will be taking 
over this nation of tens of millions of people.
  That is why I am on the Senate floor today. The American people don't 
want another war--an endless war--that puts our troops at great risk. I 
urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this 
resolution and stand up for the institution in which we serve and stand 
up for the people we represent.
  I yield the floor.

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