Young Statement on War Powers Resolution

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) released the following statement regarding today's Senate vote on the Caribbean War Powers Resolution:

"Since the last Senate vote on this issue, I've received multiple briefings from the Administration and consulted with outside experts about the legality of recent strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. I am grateful to senior Administration officials for those briefings. Based on the information I have received, I have a greater appreciation for the legal rationale behind our service members executing these strikes, and I do not believe this resolution is necessary or appropriate at this time.

"However, my vote today is not an endorsement of the Administration's current course in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. As a matter of policy, I am troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation and believe it is at odds with the majority of Americans who want the U.S. military less entangled in international conflicts.

"The strategic objective of militarizing a 'War on Drugs' is unclear at best and, while not currently desired or contemplated, these operations could conceivably lead to direct military conflict with Venezuela or even operations inside the United States. While no one has declared war on Venezuela, the creeping expansion of executive war-making-under presidents of both parties-without congressional input or oversight is dangerous. Additionally, consultation and a decision by Congress enables an open, democratic assessment of how a president envisions connecting the means of military action to a clear, strategic outcome that is in the national interest, not to grandstand or create 535 commanders-in-chief, but rather to monitor and review the activities of the executive so we don't repeat the foreign policy mistakes of this century. The Constitution is clear: Congress, not the President, holds the power to declare war, not as a constitutional nicety, but rather as a reflection of the national will.

"The American people deserve a more transparent strategy - not ad hoc military maneuvers conducted without a clearly-defined objective. The Administration must keep the people's representatives better informed if and before this situation escalates in any way."