Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Urging Republicans To Support Democrats’ War Powers Resolution In Light Of 60 Day Deadline This Week

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor regarding Trump's reckless war in Iran and the toll it is taking on the American people. Leader Schumer urged Republicans to vote with Democrats on our sixth War Powers Resolution in order to rein in Trump and reassert Congress' Constitutional authority. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks.

The hole Donald Trump dug himself into grows deeper and deeper by the day. Every day Trump continues this war, the harder it will be for him to escape that hole.

This Friday will mark 60 days since Donald Trump officially notified Congress of his foolhardy venture into Iran - a war he launched without declaration or authorization from Congress. Without a plan, without a goal, without knowledge of how much it would cost or how it would last. It's incredible. Never seen such a ridiculous, harmful, unthought out, erratic foreign policy venture, as this war with Iran is, totally started by Trump.

There's no clamor in America to do it. 60 days is the threshold under the War Powers Act, which several of my Republican colleagues clearly recognize.

But it didn't take 60 days for anyone to recognize Trump's mismanagement of this war. We have given Senate Republicans five opportunities to support our War Powers Resolution, each time they chose to back Trump and prolong this blunder even longer. Democrats will give Republicans a sixth opportunity to support our resolution this week.

And, by the end of this week, we will cross the 60 day threshold and Trump's flaunting of our Congressional war powers will be undeniable.

I urge Republicans to support our resolution instead of continuing to tie themselves to this reckless war. I urge Republicans to have a little courage. You hear when they talk to one another, when they even talk to us, they know what folly this war has been, in terms of its cost, huge amounts of cost. In terms of the loss of life, in terms of oil prices and Americans paying more than $4 a gallon at the pump.

So if Republicans voted with us, they'd be doing Donald Trump a big favor.

Negotiations remain frozen. Gas prices remain well over $4 a gallon. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. And our servicemembers - including those actively enforcing a blockade of the Strait - remain in harm's way.

The other day, Trump said that gas prices could be high "for a little while." That's what he said. Well, the Pentagon reportedly notified Congress last week that it could take six months after the war ends to sweep the Iranian minefield in the Strait.

Six months is not a "little while" for the American people who every week struggle to figure out how to pay the damn bills. That's what's happening here. Every week Americans are getting crushed by the costs of this war every time they go to the pump. And, that's six months after the war ends. Unfortunately, there is still no end in sight. Trump doesn't know what he's doing. He sends envoys to Pakistan, leave Pakistan, be here. Maybe in the first week or two, some people thought there's a strategy here, now it's clear to everybody, there is none. And there's no ends in sight.

Democrats will continue to force votes on our War Powers Resolutions every week this war rages on. Allowing this reckless war to continue would be a supreme dereliction of my colleagues' duty under the Constitution.

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