Directing the Removal of United States Armed Forces From Hostilities Within or Against the Islamic Republic of Iran That Have Not Been

Floor Speech

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Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1546(a) and in accordance with section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act, I move to discharge the Committee on Foreign Relations from further consideration of S.J. Res. 181.

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Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, I rise in support of my legislation to end President Trump's unauthorized, illegal war with Iran. This war will go down in history as one of the greatest strategic failures in modern American history.

It was launched without a clear plan, executed without a coherent strategy, and has become a costly, self-inflicted disaster for the American people. Every justification that we were given for this conflict has proven hollow.

We were told that Iran's nuclear program would be eliminated. Instead, Iran still holds nuclear material, and its leaders may be more determined than ever to build a weapon.

We were told that the Iranian regime would crumble; instead, it now holds new leverage of the world's energy supply in the Strait of Hormuz.

We were told this President would bring peace and lower prices; instead, he has given us war, pain, and higher prices.

New York families are struggling to afford groceries and keep up with the rent, and what is President Trump doing? Pouring billions of tax dollars into an open-ended war in Iran. This reckless war is driving up monthly bills and making everyday life harder for working families.

This administration demands billions for wars abroad, then claims we can't afford to improve our schools or repair our roads or lower the cost of healthcare for millions of Americans.

President Trump has made it clear that he doesn't factor in how Americans are doing financially, but the families I represent feel it every single day. Every time they fill the gas tank and watch the numbers climb, New Yorkers are being forced to pay a premium for this President's instability.

According to data from the Joint Economic Committee, the average family has to pay an additional $432 on gas alone since this war began. Statewide, that is an extra $2 billion at the pump. Let me repeat that. That is an extra $2 billion at the pump.

Nationwide, Americans have paid $60 billion more on gas. Every time I go home, I hear from constituents about their concerns: the cost of healthcare, the cost of gas, the cost to keep lights on, and put food on the table.

Those are the conversations happening in kitchens across America. That is what we should be focused on here in Washington, not dropping bombs around the world. And let us not forget there is a human cost to this war that no dollar figure could ever capture.

Our servicemembers did not volunteer to be pawns in a chaotic, unauthorized war with no plan and no end in sight. Eighteen American heroes have already paid the ultimate sacrifice. Eighteen families have been shattered.

Just last week, New York lost one of our own: SGT Angel Rampersad of Queens.

Sergeant Rampersad was a true patriot who begged her mother to let her enlist the moment she was old enough. She served this country courageously and honorably for more than 6 years before she was killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan.

Our servicemembers take one of the most dangerous jobs there is. In return, we owe them a sacred obligation. We do not send them into harm's way without a clear mission, defined objectives, and the support of the American people. The President's war with Iran is a betrayal of that obligation. New Yorkers and all Americans deserve more. They deserve better.

So I ask my colleagues: How many more servicemembers will we lose? How many more billions of dollars must families pay at the pump? How many more empty promises must be made from an out-of-control administration before this body finally acts?

Under the Constitution, we have the power to end this war today. Let's use it. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this resolution.
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