Rep. Summer Lee Calls on Congress to Pass Lebanon War Powers Resolution to End Illegal War

Footage of Floor Speech

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 4, 2026 - Yesterday, during a debate on the House floor, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12)urged her colleagues to support H.Con.Res.84, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's Lebanon War Powers Resolution, to protect civilians in Lebanon and put an end to Trump's support of Israel's war crimes. In her remarks, Congresswoman Lee called on Congress to end U.S. participation and complicity in this illegal war and to save lives.

A transcript of Congresswoman Lee's floor speech is available below and the video is available here.

Transcript: Rep. Summer Lee Calls on Congress to Pass Lebanon War Powers Resolution to End Illegal War

U.S. House of Representatives - June 3, 2026

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Lebanon War Powers Resolution introduced by my friend Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

The United States is actively participating in Israel's illegal invasion and bombing of Lebanon and its mass displacement of the Lebanese people. This participation was not authorized by Congress, and it supports strikes that are illegal under U.S. and international law. This bill is urgently needed to stop using our tax dollars to fund Israeli war crimes.

There's been confusion about what support looks like, so I would like to be specific about what United States. support looks like: In southern Lebanon, homes are being leveled with U.S.-supplied bulldozers. Israel is engaging in chemical warfare with U.S.-supplied white phosphorus. The U.S. is providing targeting intelligence for Israeli strikes. There are even credible reports that President Trump personally greenlit specific Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

These examples demonstrate the depth of U.S. involvement and the urgency for Congress to act. This is exactly the kind of military involvement that Congress intended the War Powers Resolution to cover.

I urge my colleagues to consider that by supplying Israel with weapons and logistical support, we are giving Netanyahu the means to continue bombing and displacing thousands and thousands of people.

So Trump can yell at Netanyahu all he wants, but we can't have it both ways. We can't supply weapons then be surprised when they get used. We can't supply diplomatic cover for previous violations, then be surprised when Netanyahu threatens to do it again.

The American people overwhelmingly oppose Trump's cruel, wasteful, and illegal war in Iran. If Trump is serious about ending this war, then we must prevent Israeli escalation in Lebanon. Ending our participation in that escalation is a necessary place to start.

As recently as this week's floor votes, Republicans are still out here inventing reasons why we can't help families here in America get food, support students trying to afford college, or fund childcare for working parents here at home.

Meanwhile they're trying to give $1.5 trillion dollars to the Pentagon, some of which will fund the kinds of U.S. weapons and systems for Israel that are being used to undermine a peace deal with Iran.

My constituents have been clear about this-I suspect many of our constituents have. They want lower gas prices, better schools, reliable healthcare, dignified work, and affordable homes. They do not want the U.S. and their taxpayer dollars to be complicit in morally abhorrent, wasteful, and counterproductive foreign invasions.

Today, we have an opportunity to weigh in directly and say whether we want to end U.S. participation in an invasion. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this important resolution, and with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.