Senator Murray Calls on Congress to End War with Iran, Demands White House Take DHS Reforms Seriously

Murray : "Donald Trump promised lower costs and no more foreign wars. Instead, he has given us higher costs and a new, costly war in the Middle East. It is hard to imagine a more straightforward betrayal."

Murray : "If Republicans want to know who is actually undermining our cyber defenses and our counter-terrorism work, all they have to do is look across town at Kristi Noem's DHS and Kash Patel's FBI."

***WATCH: Senator Murray's remarks***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called for an end to Trump's war of choice with Iran and reiterated her calls for accountability and reform for ICE and Border Patrol at Senate Democrats' weekly press conference.

In addition to reiterating that Democrats want to protect America's national security while also protecting Americans from being killed by rogue ICE agents, Senator Murray noted that President Trump, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and FBI Director Kash Patel have seriously weakened the United States' counterterrorism and cyber defense capabilities. Over the last year:

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered, are below:

[Trump's War in Iran]

"Donald Trump promised lower costs and no more foreign wars. Instead, he has given us higher costs and a new, costly war in the Middle East. It is hard to imagine a more straightforward betrayal.

"This president sent our kids into a war of choice from his beach club in Florida, without clear objectives or any sense of an endgame and without any authorization from Congress-no debate, no public hearings, no justification to the American people. My thoughts go out to the families of the servicemembers who have already been killed in Trump's war.

"What Americans want is health care, they want to pay less at the grocery store and the gas station. They do not want to spend billions in taxpayer dollars to bomb Iran in a war that already-tragically-resulted in the deaths of American servicemembers.

"Congress should end this war-now.Republicans should grow a spine and vote with Democrats in support of the war powers resolution.

[DHS Funding]

"But instead, some Republicans are now trying to use Trump's reckless war of choice in Iran as a new pretext to completely ignore Donald Trump's reckless occupation of American cities with rogue ICE agents.

"Look, I am not going to vote to fund ICE and let them detain, brutalize, shoot, or kill more American citizens just because Donald Trump started an unconstitutional war that no one asked for.

"And let's be clear when it does come to national security: the Pentagon, CIA, law enforcement, the FBI, and other key agencies are already funded.

"And, if Republicans want to know who is actually undermining our cyber defenses and our counter-terrorism work, all they have to do is look across town at Kristi Noem's DHS and Kash Patel's FBI.

• How many key personnel has Trump already fired, for no reason, at our top cyber defense agency?
• How many FBI agents are focused on helping round up farmworkers with no criminal history instead of counterterrorism?
• Why did Patel-just last week-fire members of the FBI's counterintelligence squad?
• And why on earth was a 22-year-old hired to lead counterterrorism at DHS?

"That should be a bigger concern to Republicans than a simple demand that ICE follow the same standards as local police.

[Congress Needs to End War]

"I'll close with this: war should be a last resort. I voted against the Iraq War-and even the Bush Administration was not as cavalier as Trump about the cost of war, in lives or taxpayer dollars.

"Trump's war will easily cost more than it would have cost to extend the ACA tax credits. This president and this Republican Congress have shown the American people: there is always money for war, there is always money for billionaire tax breaks. It is just everyday Americans, who are struggling with their health care or groceries, who Republicans just can't spare a dime [for].

"Well, Democrats have a very different message: we are going to keep fighting to put working families ahead of starting costly, unnecessary wars."

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