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Floor Speech
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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, to my colleague from Indiana, I am so glad to be on the floor with you as we approach a most historic vote, a vote that has not been conducted in the Senate since 1971, a vote to repeal a war authorization.
We will start the first procedural steps to formerly end the Iraq war. Right now, we still have not one but two active war authorizations against the Government of Iraq that is no longer an enemy, but, in the Biblical phrase, we have beaten the sword into a plowshare. Iraq is now a strategic partner of the United States.
The bill that Senator Young and I have worked on in close coordination with other colleagues would repeal both authorizations. It is a clean and simple bill, barely a page long. It has attracted bipartisan support, as my colleague mentioned, not only in the Senate and House but from stakeholder groups who care about Americans' military national security and the health and fate of our troops and veterans and their families. It is a very, very broad ideological spectrum of America that support this bill. It is a rare coalition, and it speaks to how painfully evident it is that the repeal of these authorizations is long, long overdue.
This Sunday, March 19, marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of 2002. That war ended 12 years ago. The Persian Gulf war of 1991, Operation Desert Storm, ended 30 years ago.
I want to thank my friend from New Jersey, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Menendez, for his longstanding support for this repeal effort. I want to thank my colleague from Indiana for partnering with me for years and his indefatigable effort to move us to this day. I also want to acknowledge the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Risch, who does not support my bill, who voted against it in committee, but who has worked in a cooperative way on the committee both in the 117th Congress and in the 118th Congress to make sure that this bill would be heard, that there would be a robust process for amendments in committee, and now that it can be heard on the floor.
The discussion over Congress's role in determining how and when the United States utilizes its military power--having that discussion--is so important, maybe even more important than ultimately how people vote on this bill, because, too often, the article I branch has deferred on matters of war, peace, and diplomacy to the article II branch, to the executive, even though these powers are some of the most specific and somber powers granted to Congress in article I of the Constitution. Congress must exercise our article I authority over war, peace, and diplomacy, and that is what this bill and this debate is about.
I think we need to repeal the Iraq war authorizations, first to recognize reality: An enemy that we were trying to push out of Kuwait in 1991, an enemy whose government we voted to topple in 2002, that enemy no longer exists. Iraq, today, is an American security partner of incredible importance. Defense Secretary Austin just visited Iraq last week, had productive meetings with the new Prime Minister, Prime Minister al-Sudani.
Those meetings included Iraq's request that we stay--we have about 2,500 troops in Iraq right now--and work with them to counter ISIS and other nonstate terrorist threats that threaten not only Iraq but other nations in the region. Iraq is asking us to stay so we can help them check Iranian aggression in the region.
Secretary Austin talked about the value of this strategic partnership with Iraq. Iraq is no longer a force for chaos. Iraq is now a force for regional stability, and the United States is their partner of choice. Why would we want two war authorizations against a nation that has become a partner of choice?
Our servicemembers had the courage to put their lives on the line, and everyone in this Chamber knows families, knows servicemembers who served in Iraq, who were injured in Iraq. Many of us know families of those who were killed in Iraq. They had the courage to do their job. How dare we, as Congress, not have the courage to simply say, after 20 years: This war is over; the job is done.
This is partly a way of thanking those who have borne the battle here at home. We owe it to our servicemembers to fulfill our constitutional obligations and vote to end endless wars.
Repeal also sends a powerful message to adversaries of the United States today. Repeal says: You may be an adversary of the United States today--and we know we have challenges around the world today with Russia or China or Iran or North Korea. But the repeal of this authorization sends the message: You may be our adversary today, just as Iraq once was, but the United States specializes, throughout our history, in turning adversaries into partners, allies, and friends.
Look at the U.S.-Germany relationship. We fought two wars against Germany in the 20th century. The relationship now is so powerful, and that powerful relationship is helping as we try to protect Ukraine from an illegal invasion by Russia.
Look at Japan. We fought a war against Japan, a devastating war. We were attacked by Japan in 1941. Yet, now, Japan is one of our closest allies in the world.
Look at Vietnam. When Vietnam invites the USS John McCain to make a port call in Vietnam to celebrate the relationship that has been built between our two nations--a relationship that still has some challenges but a relationship that few could have predicted during the Vietnam war--we send a message to the entire world that the United States will turn a sword into a plowshare, will beat a spear into a pruning hook; that we will embrace diplomacy. And that is a message that the U.S. adversaries of today should draw from an action to repeal this war.
The Biden administration has reissued a statement of administration policy on this particular bill, stating that they fully support it. Let me just read briefly from it:
The Administration notes that the United States conducts no ongoing military activities that rely primarily on the 2002 AUMF, and no ongoing military activities that rely on the 1991 AUMF, as a domestic legal basis. Repeal of these authorizations would have no impact on current U.S. military operations and would support this Administration's commitment to a strong and comprehensive relationship with our Iraqi partners. That partnership, which includes cooperation with the Iraqi Security Forces, continues at the invitation of the Government of Iraq [to] . . . advise, assist, and enable [them].
The Great Seal of the United States, which you can see here on the wallpaper around this Chamber, was created early in our Nation's history, and it shows an eagle holding 13 arrows in one talon--those 13 to represent the first 13 American States--and an olive branch in the other talon. The design was chosen very intentionally. The arrows signify the U.S. military capacity, might, and will. The olive branch signifies the American desire to be a peacemaking, diplomatic nation.
On the Seal of the United States, the eagle is facing toward the olive branch--facing toward the olive branch--because we want everyone to know how we define ourselves as a nation--that, yes, we will have the military capacity to defeat enemies if we must, but, as a nation, our preference, permanently and always, is to seek peace and diplomatic solutions with all the nations of the world.
After 20 years, it is time to repeal the Iraq war authorizations. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this procedural vote today. It will begin a robust and fulsome debate that will go into next week. Senator Young and I and our colleagues are committed that that debate shall include opportunities for Members to offer amendments. That is being worked on by Democratic and Republican leadership.
We haven't had a discussion of this kind for nearly six decades. It is good that we are going to give it the time and attention it deserves, and I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the cloture motion later this morning.
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