Some Illinois Congressional members reacted Saturday to President Donald Trump’s decision to use military force against Iran.
Representative Mary Miller of Illinois’ 15th Congressional District, released a statement saying, “President Trump has taken decisive action to defend America’s interests and confront those who threaten our security.”
Congresswoman Robin Kelly, however, condemned the President’s decision to attack Iran. Kelly (shown above) said, since bombing Iran last June, President Trump has not made clear any imminent threat that Iran poses to the United States. “Overnight, President Trump launched a massive attack against Iran, urged a regime change, and destabilized the entire Middle East region,” said Kelly. And Representative Kelly added, President Trump “must answer to the American people and justify why he endangered the lives of our military troops and potentially entered us into another costly, prolonged war in the Middle East.” Kelly added, “Congress must pass the War Powers Resolution Act, since this President cannot initiate military action without Congressional approval.”
U. S. Representative Nikki Budzinski also released a statement Saturday regarding the attack on Iran. “The Constitution is clear: only Congress has the power to send our nation to war,” said Budzinski. “This is a grave responsibility – one we take with the utmost seriousness. But the same cannot be said for President Trump. Once again, he has disregarded the principle of coequal branches of government,” added Budzinski. “And now, the consequences could be profound and dangerous.”
“It goes without saying that preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power is critically important,” added Representative Budzinski. “We had an agreement designed to achieve that goal – an agreement the President chose to abandon.” She added, “Iran’s human rights and its anti-democratic regime cannot be ignored. But we can, and must, pursue diplomacy to address these challenges, not another costly and deadly conflict.”
All three members of Congress said their thoughts are with the safety and well-being of our service members and all those in the region. And Representative Miller added: “May God continue to bless and protect the United States of America.”
