Duckworth Slams Trump's Unconstitutional, Unjustified Iran War for Needlessly Putting Our Troops' Lives at Greater Risk

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Amid the second week of Donald Trump's illegal war against Iran, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) slammed how the Trump Administration's lack of preparedness and planning for this war has further put our servicemembers' lives at needless risk by undermining medical evacuation efforts in the Middle East. At today's U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, Duckworth underscored the challenges that Trump's war has put on our medical evacuation system as it seeks to transport critical care patients across airspaces and maritime routes that are riddled with Iranian missiles and drones. Duckworth's full remarks can be found on the Senator's YouTube.

"Seven servicemembers have already been killed and at least 140 servicemembers have been wounded-and Donald Trump seems to have made no plans to safeguard the lives of our troops who are at greater risk as his illegal, unjustified military campaign expands," said Duckworth. "Our wounded servicemembers and logistics professionals now face the realities of medical evacuation in an airspace contested by Iranian missiles and drones. Meanwhile, this Administration is hiding its incompetence behind the valor of our military men and women, as if questioning why we're at war is questioning the valor of our troops."

Duckworth continued: "Our military will always do the best job possible. That means we are beholden to do our job and make sure this is the right war, one that is worth our troops' sacrifices."

During her remarks, Duckworth also criticized how the Trump Administration is underinvesting in medical readiness in the Indo-pacific where, despite the real possibility of military conflict actually in our national interest, our nation has less MEDEVAC experience and much greater distances to cover to get our servicemembers the medical attention they may need. As Trump's illegal war of choice continues, Duckworth stressed that these gaps will only continue to widen as our medical evacuation system is strained.

Duckworth is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump's illegal military campaign against Iran. The Senator is one of six Senate Democrats who introduced a War Powers Resolution and is pushing to put members of the Trump Administration under oath so the American people can hear how they attempt to justify this illegal war.

Duckworth is also a proven leader in pushing to strengthen medical readiness in the Indo-Pacific region. The Senator's Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness program-a program she championed in the FY2025 NDAA-will help ensure our nation's servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region-where they often must travel long distances to receive care.

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