Relating to A National Emergency Declared By the President on May 2003

Floor Speech

I rise in support of my bill today, which would terminate the 2003 national emergency for Iraq. This legislation serves as a much-needed check on the Biden administration and forces Congress to do its job.

The National Emergencies Act was passed in 1976 and was originally enacted in response to Presidents FDR and Truman keeping the country in a perpetual state of emergency as part of their daily governance.

Specifically, section 202 requires Congress to vote on any resolution terminating each national emergency every 6 months: ``Not later than 6 months after a national emergency is declared, and not later than the end of each 6-month period thereafter that such emergency continues, each House of Congress shall meet to consider a vote on a joint resolution to determine whether that emergency shall be terminated.''

In other words, the bill requires Congress to rein in emergency declarations. However, despite this requirement, Congress has never reviewed the national emergency related to Iraq. This is recklessly endangering our Republic, our system of checks and balances, and due process, and it undermines we the people.

The extended national emergency declaration related to Iraq provides the President with broad statutory powers only meant for times of actual emergency, including the power to draft Americans without consent into Active Duty.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are tasked with reviewing dozens of extended national emergency declarations as required by law every 6 months.

It is long past time for Congress to do its job and terminate outdated declarations.

I have personally been deployed to Iraq three times as a Navy SEAL. I am not naive.

U.S. military overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime within 3 weeks of being there, and we killed Saddam Hussein in 2006. We formally declared the end of the Iraq war an December 15, 2011. We should not leave this national declaration for Iraq in place as a green light for the Biden administration to fuel forever wars.

Mr. Speaker, since President Biden has been in office, he is now participating in a new proxy war with Russia in Ukraine and allowed an invasion at our southern border. Spending concerns, constitutional concerns, and concerns regarding the lives of our soldiers are easily and often overlooked by this administration.

Two-thirds of veterans and majorities of military families and the public support full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and a vast majority of the general public, 80 percent, believe our military engagement around the world should be reduced or stay about the same size. Only 6 percent believe we should be more engaged.

The U.S. has many vital national interests--securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, and achieving energy security and independence. Becoming further entangled in forever wars is not one of them.

Just like the Ukraine-Russia war, Americans see no end in sight and no clear strategy to resolve forever wars. This is a clear dereliction of duty, and Congress must act.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time and the right to close.
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Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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