Duckworth Excoriates Trump for Launching an Illegal Attack Against Iran, Putting Our Servicemembers and National Security at Needless Risk

March 02, 2026

Duckworth Excoriates Trump for Launching an Illegal Attack Against Iran, Putting Our Servicemembers and National Security at Needless Risk

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Foreign Relations Committees (SFRC)-excoriated Donald Trump for launching an illegal attack against Iran without Constitutionally-required authorization from Congress, without any known imminent threat to our national security and without a plan to mitigate the instability that will come next. In her remarks on the Senate floor, Duckworth pleaded with her Republican colleagues to consider the lives of our servicemembers and help stop this Trump-manufactured conflict by voting in support of Senator Kaine's War Powers Resolution, which the Senate will vote on later this week. Duckworth's full remarks can be found on the Senator's Twitter/X, Facebook and YouTube.

Key Quotes:

• "I ran for Congress so that when the drums of war started beating, I'd be in a position to make sure that our elected officials fully considered the true costs of war-not just in dollars and cents, but in human lives as well. That was the vow I made to the troops I deployed with and all those who've served since I hung up my uniform."

• "Look, I believe there are certain solemn, urgent times when our military must be called upon to defend us. There are certain moments when the threat in question is significant and imminent… Instances when military force is the most effective tool at hand-and that using it is necessary to protect America and her interests. The thing is, from what little information Trump has shared publicly, this is not one of those times."

• "If [the Trump Administration] actually believe that this war is justified, then they need to come to Congress and do their jobs, explaining their case and giving the American people a say through their elected representatives. They need to respect the American people enough to actually tell them why they're being forced to bear the costs of this conflict-both in dollars and cents, and daughters and sons."

Senator Duckworth's full remarks as prepared:

You know, I'm proud of every mission I completed in Iraq. But I would never wish another needless, endless, unjustified war like the one I served in on anybody else.

I wouldn't wish it on the heroes whose blood would be soaked into that desert sand.

I wouldn't wish it on their families, who'd spend their days anxiously waiting for news from half-a-world-away.

And I wouldn't wish it on the American people, who are desperate for their president to focus on bringing their costs down here at home, not starting new, expensive forever wars continents away.

So I'm here today to keep true to a promise I first made two decades ago.

I ran for Congress so that when the drums of war started beating, I'd be in a position to make sure that our elected officials fully considered the true costs of war-not just in dollars and cents, but in human lives as well.

That was the vow I made to the troops I deployed with and all those who've served since I hung up my uniform.

And today, I'm speaking here, under this great Capital Dome, to keep that most sacred oath.

Because sadly, right now, American servicemembers are already in harm's way 6,000 miles east for what could be yet another preventable war.

These troops are ready to do their jobs, no matter what-just as they've done time after time, tour after tour.

So to me, it's tragic that even as they prepare do their jobs, our president and certain members of this chamber seem so ready to neglect their own.

As we all know, on Saturday morning, without any known imminent threat to America or American interests, Donald Trump launched an illegal military campaign against Iran.

Look, I want a democratic Iran and I want to see its people free from the iron grip of its brutal authoritarian regime.

And, I'm not about to shed a tear for the Ayatollah's death.

He was no friend to the United States. Nor to his own people.

He was responsible for the brutal murders of thousands of his own citizens in just the past few months alone.

However, my first concern is always going to be the national security of the United States.

And I'm troubled because of the consequences that are sure to come because of Trump's actions.

Our troops-and Americans around the world-are at greater risk because Trump wanted to thump his chest and look like a tough guy on TV.

For no real reason he can explain, Trump is marching us closer and closer to another costly, bloody, protracted conflict… A war without any defined end-state… And without even a "concept of a plan" for how to prevent the chaos and instability that will come next.

Far from making America greater, or better, or stronger, or whatever new adjective he's using this week, Trump's actions have made our nation and our allies less safe.

He's made them less secure.

By continuing to strain our military with wars of choice, Trump is a handing a gift to bad actors like Russia and the PRC, as his never-ending chaos makes it harder for our Armed Forces to focus on defending our critical interests in places like the Pacific.

So no. Trump's actions over the past 72 hours-or ever-haven't put America first.

They've made the situation for America worse.

The sad fact of the matter is that what we're facing today is in large part a manufactured crisis.

Iran is no ally of ours. We've been adversaries since long before Trump took office.

I've always condemned their proxy activity and ballistic missile program, and I certainly agree that they cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.

But we can't forget that Donald Trump is the one who pulled the U.S. out of the very deal that was limiting their weapons development program.

Trump is the one who made sure Iran no longer had to play by the rules that curbed their nuclear production.

His inability to conduct foreign policy is what made today's nightmare a reality.

His historical incompetence is what gave them the matchbox and the motivation to start this fire. And now he's angry that their kindling has started to catch.

He's mad because they're doing the very things his actions encouraged them to do.

It's circular logic-with already fatal consequences. Fatal for the six American heroes who've already lost their lives in this conflict… And fatal for the hundreds of civilians who've already become the most horrible kind of collateral…

Moms and dads who, this evening, should be able to sit down to eat dinner with their little girl… who should be able to kiss their little boy good night… who should be able to go to bed dreaming of a tomorrow that doesn't include missiles or misery.

Now, he has created a power vacuum in Iran, resulting in an unstable regime that is willing to do anything to hold on to power.

Now, he's created an open invitation for well-funded, organized terrorist groups to swoop in and snatch away any chance the Iranian people have of freedom and self-governance.

War is always tragic. But when it's preventable… it's not just tragic, but a travesty, too.

Trump wouldn't let himself be dragged by the bone spurs to serve in uniform when his country needed him. So how dare he try to drag us into yet another war of choice today.

But this draft-dodger is too infatuated with maximum pressure to consider even minimum diplomacy.

Once again, the Trump Foreign Policy Doctrine has proven reckless, senseless and dangerous…

A doctrine in which fact and fiction are one and the same.

And one in which avarice outweighs advice every damn time.

It's shameful-terrifying-that we have a Commander-in Chief who seems to come to military decisions by virtue of temper tantrum and announces them via tweet.

A president who doesn't seem to care that if he keeps to the path of fire and fury that he's been treading, our own homeland will be in greater danger… more Wounded Warriors will be sent to Walter Reed… and more fallen heroes will be laid to rest at Arlington.

A president who's so obsessed with "being the tough guy" that he doesn't seem to give a shi-

A president who's happy to squander the lives of our heroes for his own personal gain.

Now, after this weekend, he has officially traded deterrence for instability and chaos-and made us all less safe in the process.

Americans, certainly.

But also our partners in the region and the Iranian people themselves, who did not ask for any of this… Iranian families who've suffered for decades under the Ayatollah's tyrannical iron grip and who, at long last, just want to feel safe and secure.

Look, Trump may have run to his podiatrist instead of running toward danger in Vietnam, but I actually know what it's like to leave your blood… your sweat… your limbs in a warzone half-a-world away.

So I know what's at stake for the thousands of troops this Administration is getting ready to send into harm's way.

And I can tell you this: It's a whole lot easier to cover your eyes and order other Americans to sacrifice if you don't have to sacrifice anything for it yourself.

It's much easier to ignore the everyday realities of war from inside the hallowed halls of the White House. But it's nearly impossible if you've been outside the wire yourself.

So as those drums of war echo louder than they have in years, I'm here today because despite what he thinks, Donald Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally force us into war.

He may have never read the Constitution, but I have.

So let me direct his attention to Article I, which makes clear that the president does not have the power to declare war. Only Congress does.

We are the ones tasked with deciding when and how Americans are sent into combat.

We are the ones charged with that most solemn duty.

Yet Trump is acting as if Article I simply doesn't exist… as if obeying the Constitution is optional... as if our founding document is just a yellowing, crumbling piece of paper he can crumple up at will.

Refusing to allow him to get away with this should not-must not-be a partisan issue.

No matter if you're struggling to pay rent or your name is plastered in fake gold on a building on Fifth Avenue, no one can ignore the Constitution.

No matter if you're a Mar-a-Lago worker pulling double-shifts or the President of the United States, no one is above the law.

Look, I believe there are certain solemn, urgent times when our military must be called upon to defend us.

There are certain moments when the threat in question is significant and imminent… Instances when military force is the most effective tool at hand-and that using it is necessary to protect America and her interests.

The thing is, from what little information Trump has shared publicly, this is not one of those times.

But if the Administration thinks I'm wrong, then the floor is theirs.

We're only a 20-minute walk from the White House. It's not hard to find. We're the building with the big dome on top.

If they actually believe that this war is justified, then they need to come to Congress and do their jobs, explaining their case and giving the American people a say through their elected representatives.

They need to respect the American people enough to actually tell them why they're being forced to bear the costs of this conflict-both in dollars and cents, and daughters and sons.

They need to respect our servicemembers enough to prove why war with Iran is worth turning more moms and dads into Gold Star parents.

They need to prove that they've thought this through enough that they can tell us what an end-state in Iran would even look like.

Then, when their case has been made… when Congress' debate is done… we must vote.

It's our duty. It's our burden. It's the least we can do for those willing to sacrifice everything to safeguard our democracy.

But if the Trump Administration refuses to do that? If they refuse to adhere to the first article of the Constitution?

Well, then it begs the question: What are they hiding?

You know, this week, we'll vote on Senator Kaine's War Powers Resolution.

And I'm well-aware that many of my colleagues are claiming to have a difficult time deciding how to vote.

To them, let me say this: We ask a lot of tough things of our troops and military families.

Serving in a combat zone is hard.

Hugging your husband or your wife… your father or your daughter… for the last time before they deploy, not knowing if you'll ever see them again… that's hard.

The least we can do in return is ensure that we Senators take our duties as seriously as they do theirs.

So to my Republican colleagues, please:

Think about the fact that Trump cared so little about your beliefs on this matter that he willfully, illegally circumvented our chamber entirely… Preferring to sow chaos and fear… Leaving Americans in the lurch and United States Senators in the dark…

Choosing to start an unlawful war rather than simply ask for your expertise… for your Constitutionally-mandated vote.

And think about that Trump still hasn't been able to tell us of an imminent threat to American interests that would've actually required military action anywhere near this scale.

Then, after reflecting on all of that, all I'm asking is that you vote for what you know is right.

Moving forward, I'll come back to this chamber every afternoon, if necessary…

Reminding the nation of the hard lessons learned the last time a president rashly sent our sons and daughters into another unjustified war in the Middle East…

Trying to ensure that, this time, we do right by our troops…

Trying to ensure that, this time, we actually… fully… soberly… consider the consequences of Washington's decisions on those who serve and their families.

Thank you.

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