[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           AMERICANS DESERVE A SAY IN DECISIONS TO GO TO WAR

  (Ms. Dexter of Oregon was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, to the American people watching, I am here 
to say clearly on the floor of the House of Representatives:
  You deserve a say in whether our country goes to war.
  You deserve a say in whether our children are sent into combat.
  You deserve a say in whether your tax dollars are fueling a $1 
billion-a-day conflict.
  You deserve a voice because the decision to go to war needs to 
reflect the will of the people who fight in and pay for that war. That 
will is exercised through the American people's elected Representatives 
in Congress. It is not about bureaucratic process. It is about the fact 
that you should have a say in whether your country goes to war.
  The White House has cut the American people out of that conversation 
to launch a war without articulating a compelling imminent threat. They 
are taking our children to war with no goal, no justification, and no 
off-ramp. Yet, I will be clear that we still do have the power to stop 
this.

  Public support for Trump is collapsing. If the American people stay 
loud, more Republicans in this body will have to decide whether they 
stand with their constituents or with the war. People in red States and 
blue States want and need the same things: good jobs, safe 
neighborhoods, a stable economy, affordable healthcare and housing, and 
the ability to thrive in their communities.
  They do not want war, especially not a war being led by Pete Hegseth 
from day one, who has been failing to demonstrate that he can keep 
Americans safe. At least 13 soldiers have already died on his watch, 
and over 1,000 civilians have been killed. It is becoming increasingly 
clear that the U.S. military is responsible for bombing a school full 
of elementary school children, killing at least 168 people. The 
American people do not support this horror.
  To my Republican colleagues: Do the right thing. Stand up for our 
constituents.
  To the American people: Do not look away from the truth of what is 
happening. Refuse to normalize being silent and complicit. You must 
stay loud.

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