As the House took up the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, I called out House Republican leadership for continuing to ignore the constitutional duty of Congress to debate and vote on the nearly two-year U.S. military operation against ISIS in the Middle East.
I offered a bipartisan amendment to the NDAA to prohibit the use of any U.S. funds after April 30, 2017, for the deployment of U.S. Armed Forces to Iraq or Syria in the fight against the Islamic State if an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) has still not been enacted. The amendment was rejected by House Republicans on the Rules Committee.
Excerpts of today’s Speech:
“There is no shortage of Members of Congress talking tough against ISIS. But let’s be honest, that takes absolutely no courage at all. None of us are on the front lines in Syria or Iraq. We’re all safe and sound in the U.S. Capitol. We have sent our uniformed men and women into harm’s way in Syria and Iraq for nearly two years now. And still, Congress refuses to do its duty and authorize their deployment.
“In fact, I remember that last year Speaker Ryan said an AUMF for Iraq and Syria – for the war against the Islamic State – would be one of the first things this Congress would take up this year. Well, here we are in the middle of May and there’s no AUMF in sight.
“I guess this Congress is just too damn chicken to do its job when it comes to war and we’re going to kick the can into the 115th Congress.
“Every single member of this House should be ashamed. Our collective silence – our collective indifference – is dismissive of our Constitutional responsibility. This chamber is guilty of moral cowardice. I urge my colleagues to show some backbone and demand that the Majority Leadership of this House carry out its constitutional duty to debate and vote on an AUMF for Iraq and Syria.”
Background:
McGovern has been a leading voice in the push for Congress to finally vote on whether or not to authorize military action against ISIS. McGovern forced a House floor debate in May 2015, speaking to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow about the effort, and in November 2015 McGovern led a bipartisan group of 35 House lawmakers calling for Speaker Ryan to let the House debate and vote on an AUMF. In December 2015, Speaker Ryan said that a debate and vote on an AUMF would be a 2016 priority, but five months later, Americans are still waiting.
Click here to read the full speech.
jconway says
My Congressmen and your colleague Seth Moulton served in Iraq and has lost many good friends there recently to ISIL. We should never have invaded in the first place, something your good vote against that war would be avoided and something Seth and even Clinton and Trump seem to agree on. The question is, what do we do now?
It’s one thing to express prudential judgment about the proper separation of powers, particularly war powers, and insist your colleagues do the right thing by the Constitution regarding their duty to approve or disapprove of potential wars. It’s quite another to debate a particular war and/or a particular course of action. Seth eloquently argued why his own party’s present administration is not getting the job done. What would you propose we begin doing otherwise before more innocent people are killed abroad, in the streets of Europe, and inevitably in this country by these barbarians?
middlebororeview says
The US is bombing Syria to rubble, killing civilians, denying fleeing refugees safe havens.
Reports indicate that our ‘friends’ and allies are funding and supporting ISIS, Turkey is allowing oil to flow through their borders, conflicting reports indicate US arms and training may have been provided by the US, and much else.
The Corporate Media PROPAGANDA MACHINES report ‘X’ and expect us to march to war?
Have Americans ever been given the TRUTH?
WE know what creates TERRORISM!
If you kill a man’s family by bombing him from the air, do you think you made a friend?
Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Honduras, Brazil, Venezuela and elsewhere were functioning countries until the US/CIA meddled.
Shouldn’t we be asking greater questions about whether we are following the marching orders of the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex, the Neo Cons and PNAC to build American Empire?
http://www.countercurrents.org/zuesse200316.htm
Christopher says
I keep up with the news pretty well and I have not heard anything close to that! Your link strikes me as a bit fringe frankly to say the least.
jconway says
Assad and ISIL are doing a bang up job killing a staggering making of their own people without our assistance or really any kind of reaction from us. Syria is increasingly a case study in the failure of inaction, particularly as the humanitarian crisis spills over into EU and NATO states.
And Brazil and Venezuela messed themselves up all on their own through chronic mismanagement and cronyism. Venezuela is increasingly a disturbing tragedy and certainly Brazil is coming close. All leftist government that openly opposed the United States and spurned its offers of assistance. And America is to blame for the Ukraine crisis? Outside of Putin apparatchiks and his buddy the Republican nominee, nobody with any brains thinks that. We aren’t the moral arbiters or top cop of the world, we aren’t it’s leading villain either.