Thank you all for being here and let me thank all of my colleagues will give with me this morning for joining together with the enormously important piece of legislation, a bill, which would prevent any funds from being used for a Wall of Iran without congressional. In the set of the spill has been co-sponsored by senators marking Whiten Telegram worldwide, Campbell Warren in Holland, Harris Merkley. Let me also say that I'm very pleased that the House leadership has committed to seeing the congressman similar bill in Congress woman leaves repeal of the 2002 Iraq AMF both come up the votes and I look forward to working with them to get our legend. Should pass in the Center? When I look back upon American history, I remember the two most significant foreign policy mistakes. our country made in the marinara and those were the war in Vietnam and the war in Iraq and let us know we will led into both of those was by a series of lives. The result will warm the cost 50 - 9000, American deaths and many others came home wounded in body In fact, a whole generation, my generation was devastated by that Wall. The casualties in Vietnam last and Cambodia are almost incalculable, but they went into the millions of people in 2002 and 2003. In terms of rock, we were told over and over again that's the dog was saying he had weapons of Mass destruction that he was. With and that we needed to invade Iraq, a less we wanted to see another 911 or even worse a nuclear attack. Claims were lies. The war in Iraq led to the deaths of 40 - 500 Brave American troops and the wounding physical and emotion of tens of thousands of others. It led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Rockies and the displacement of over five million people and the increased the stabilization of Region The war in a rock cost US trillions of dollars money that could have been spent to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure provide quality education for our kids provide health care for the uninsured and under insured and after all of that after all of the pain and suffering and death and the expenditure. Of trillions of dollars, the Iraqi Police and voted earlier this week to boot US forces out of their country. And now we have a President who abandoned a nuclear agreement. we signed with our allies has turned to a policy of escalation. It appears to be walking up toward another disastrous war in the Middle East, and let's be clear another war in the Middle East could cost once again, countless lives and trillions more dollars. Conflict more displacement and more misery As the United States Senator, I personally will do everything I can to prevent such a war just as we will let into the anomaly. Rock My lies the Trump administration is misleading us on Iran. They have justified the assassination of casino money by claiming that he was planning in advance on hundreds of Americans in the region, and yet they produce no. That would justify this claim not even in a classified setting, and that is why it is so important that we are all here today, members of the Senate members of the House. Because under our constitution that has never forget us, it is the Congress that has the responsibility not the President who are waging war, Our founding fathers understood that was only too easy for a President to lead the country into a disastrous military conflict. That is why they gave the exclusive power of a war and peace to the people's elected representatives. Last year, Many of us worked together to pass. War Powers resolution on Yemen in which Congress will a first time in history use the powers laid out in the 1970 - three Wolf to constrain the President on matters of war. While President Trump beat that resolution, there is no question that has played a major role in signaling to the regime to the region that the American people do not support the Saudi led intervention in Yemen and now is the time for us to once again come together and The President will not have one penny this fan Auto war in Iraq unless there is congressional authorization. Thank you, I applied my. Come on. It was about the lives in Vietnam. I think back to the boat and being done in April, 1970, - five, the Armed Services Committee, four, or. I remember very well the most junior. When I remember the most when the chair of that Committee turn to a very very conservative Center for always supporting the war and being home and said, did you mean to vote? No, he said. I met the chairman. They lied to me long enough and. I've never forgotten that we you know if any of the killer American soldiers those basic, I think President Trump much differently and without consulting Congress and that's a nightmare scenario. We've been pass the war with Iran ever since President Trump recklessly abandon the Iran nuclear agreement that are allies. Join this up for too long this President and even three people into war US forces in hostilities without politics or obtaining the consent of Congress and too often the Congress has been willing collaborator that resolves in the sport. Thousands of America. Millions of others lives life trillions of dollars wasted now, of course, the President whoever the President has in great assault dependent to an imminent threat. But let's not rely a lot of conversation. We should have been there in the first place for the use of force to remove the scene in Iraq, something that was. In both both was passed based on lies and false from the administration. Attacks some years later the yesterday an administration official like this. I gotta tell you as the dean of the Senate this. My blood boil, they said, be a mistake for the Senate to even have a debate about the president's more power. We got constant tutu read the constitution. he said in olden, Iran's leaders that they saw there are difference of opinion among us. if they saw the weird democracy. We have different opinions as others, employment centers and the president's prior said. That's an insult. It's dangerous in the eyes. Life of Understand Congress is growing this device. It's our job. It's our responsibility to debate and vote, especially involved in peace and the light of the men and women and I are in our services and their families. So I strongly support Senator Saturdays. We should have this to me and have the courage to stand up and follow the constitution and vote vote vote. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you, Senator Sanders for your leadership and courage and stopping war. Thank you. Senator Lee for your advocacy on human rights must be something about the state of Vermont. let's be very clear power of God versus the power of the first. We can the Progressive Caucus Senator Sanders introduce these amendments to the National Defense Authorization, which would has stopped correctly the salmoni killing or anything that happened Afterwards. The Amendment said that we will not fund an offensive strike against Iran or Iranian officials, Senator Sanders and others the Progressive caucus that we should not hand the Pentagon 7030 - eight billion dollars without Now, the White House pushed back and unfortunately, we didn't stand up strong it up that hasn't been the history of Congress. so there was a Senator Senator Church in 1960. - nine who had amendments to stop the expansion of the war in Vietnam, allows Cambodia with Island and he put in the National Defense authorization that they won't have any funding and the Back they try to get rid of that amendment, but then the Congress then that we asked they actually passed the Church Amendment to prohibit and stop the words. and then in 1970, Senator Church again introduced an amendment to stop any funding for Vietnam and the war, and it's no coincidence that Nixon winds down the war in 1970 - three in 1970, - Six Congress stopped funding for the fight against There my point is that Congress in the past has been willing to exercise the power of the purse. It's only in this century that we have not we should have stopped the escalation in Afghanistan and now we must stop the escalation when they arrived. We're not an implanted body. We get to decide who gets funding for these military operations and this bill says absolutely no funding for an offensive work in Iran. Thank you, I want to start by commending Senator Sanders with Congressman for introducing this legislation all my colleagues for standing here to stop a war with Iran. the Constitution has been mentioned a couple times and what this bill does is reaffirms two important principles in the Constitution. One the Congress has the power to declare war and two. We have the power. Purse So with this act says to moms and dads across the country who pay taxes to their federal government that we're not gonna send your sons and daughters to a war in Iran in less, the Congress has acted. It's that simple President Trump should not be able to take taxpayer dollars to send those kids to war in less Congress. Acts now this bill is very clear that you can, of course fund acts of legitimate self defense. but what we've seen from this President. As recently as yesterday from the folks he sent up on under the Hill is that there was no evidence to support their claim that there was an imminent attack on our forces or the United States not and so what we've seen is a repeat of what we saw. Earlier cases that have been mentioned, but in Vietnam and more recently in the case of Iraq, where people manipulated backs, manipulated intelligence and manipulated the application of the law to justify unnecessary wars of choice. so this act is something else. That's very important. It reaffirms that the 2001 and 2002 authorizations do not give the. The authority to go to war, I wanna thank Barbara Lee for all her work over many years on that issue because we just seen class couple of weeks, people like Vice President Pence Vice President Pence Paul outfit totally false totally debunked suggestion that Iran was somehow part of the 911 attacks that is established lot. Is not a lot of bad things and we all agree on that but to try to manipulate the facts once again to try to justify perhaps using 2001 off the position to attack Iran and other efforts to protect maybe shoe horn 2002, which don't apply in any way. So this legislation is absolutely essential what we've seen from the President's attacks and actions over the last three years, including the recent attack. Is simply to make Americans less safe and to make you rock and that region more unstable. so we need to use our authority to stop that. and that's what this is all about. So again. I wanna thank all the members here. for working to stop and an unnecessary war with Iran comfortable relief. Well. Thank you very much good morning first. let me thank Senator Sanders and Congressman. For steady, consistent and bold leadership and also I wanna thank all of our senators here today who have come to say the first cycle of violence has got to stop make no mistake. Donald Trump is responsible for this crisis. He has Shaun pharmacy since day one filling his Cabinet with warm overs and war hearts today after 19 years nine. Years of endless lord, which I opposed it every step of the way I stand with my colleagues to say that the American people. Another unnecessary war of choice in the Middle East now let me be clear the dangerous and reckless actions taken by Donald Trump. He has brought us to the break of an all-out war with Iran and has made us less safe. Now more than ever. Congress needs to exercise our constitutional responsibility to stop this endless board that includes passing Senator Sanders and Congressman Connors No War with Iran Act, which I'm proud to cosponsor and also just as an. Appropriate, Let me tell you the power of the purse has got to be exercised and used at this point. This was passed with bipartisan support in the House in the 2020 bill our NBA bill, but it was stripped by Republicans and the Trump administration from this bill. Now we know why we've seen the disastrous consequences of award based on faulty intelligence before again in 2002. I don't know if you remember this, but I offered an amendment when the authorization to. Military force against rock came to the floor This Amendment said that hold up let's let the inspectors determine whether or not there are weapons of Mass destruction in Iraq. We wanted the inspectors to go to verify that supposed weapons of Mass destruction before any military action. I think God maybe 70 - 270 - three votes. unfortunately for that As flawed as the 2002 A UMF finally was, it was never intended or written to authorize future actions against a country they had personnel in Iraq. Neither was the 2001 blank Check, which I opposed this administration has falsely claimed that the 2002 A U M F could be used as the congressional authorization to attack attack That's completely. Outrageous US military deployments carried out the facility to the 2002 A U M F Dub Remember Operation Iraqi Freedom that officially ended in 2011 and the United States recognizes the sovereignty of Iran and considers the rocky government. We've known for years that there is no military solution in the Middle East and it's past time to return to a diplomatic strategy with our allies, including. That we look at how we get back into the nuclear deal. The JCPOA, the path to peace is not through waging war. We cannot. We cannot allow this President irresponsible and irrational decision making to drag us into another catastrophic war in the Middle East. together with the American people, we can come together and put a check on this President and stop the March toward. Thank you all again. I wanna thanks and Sanders and Congressman and all of our colleagues here today for really coming forward and raising their voices and yes using the power of the first to say no to war and the Congress pointed finally exercises constitutional responsibility. Thank you again so children. Thank you. Senator Sanders for bringing us here today the crisis we are facing today Iran with both. And avoidable without seeking congressional authorization or presenting any clear strategy. President Trump has brought us to the break of war. I'm greatly relieved that around retaliatory missile strikes did not resolve in casualties of any US service members caught in the Middle of these possibilities. Actions have damaged our relationship with a rock. They're called to expel US troops would create chaos and enable Isis to regain their power. Make no mistake. President Trump has made us less safe. The founders of this country gave only Congress the power to declare war. They understood the danger of giving too much power to one person they understood. War is ways is the American people who bear the brunt who make the sacrifice Congress must assert its authority before it's too late. That's why I am sponsoring the No War with Iran Act to prohibit the President from taking any further military action involving Iran. unless he notifies Congress immediately and obtains our authorization. I urge my colleagues to support this. Needed Bill immediately In addition, Congress to debate and pass my War Powers Reform resolution, which would repeal the 2001 and 2002 AAU Ms The law will require a war powers authorization based on a clear explanation of the goals of military action. Our adversaries the countries where the service members will be sent into conflict based on the 2001 in 2002, A OMS we have deployed to. 20 countries against terrorist groups that didn't even exist when those authorizations were passed, It will stop funding for wars after two years unless Congress passes a new authorization we as Congress must restrain this President and future presidents from using open-ended authorizations to unilaterally engage in military actions of their choosing. We must end this abuse. We must end the abuse of the War Powers Act and we must pass No war with a Rod Act today. Congresswoman Thank you so much Senator Sanders for your fierce and passionate and committed and consistent leadership on this and so many issues Representative Ana. It is such an honor to be able to work with you as the first vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Representative Lee. Thank you for your long work on this which inspired me 20 years ago, Senator Cantwell. It's great to be with my own home, state senator and Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. I wanna make two points about why we're here first. Exercising our authority and our obligation to a search our power over going toward second, we have to use all the tools in our toolbox and the very biggest tool in our toolbox is the power of the purse and so that is why the Congressional Progressive Caucus hundred members strong in the House of Representatives, 40 percent of the Democratic Caucus has endorsed both Representative Conyers Bill and Representative Lee. Repeal of the ACA OMS of 2001 and 2002, and we are working very closely with leadership. We hope to bring those to the floor in the next week, we understand several things number one more is devastating. It is devastating. hundreds of thousands of people lose lives just in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. That's been true. We know that families are split. We know that countries are destroyed and we know that it continues the impact continues. To come what we also know is from our classified briefing yesterday. from all the information you have. there was no actual evidence. No raw intelligence provided to us of any imminent breath and the result of that means that we are significantly less safe because how we stayed in the Iran deal had we not put forward a maximum pressure strategy had we not? Assassinated general some money on false claims that somehow the 2002 AMF covered this, we would be in a safer place and yet today we stand on the brink of war and it is up to us The United States Congress to re assert that fundamental authority, Americans do not want endless wars. Americans certainly want us to learn from our mistakes. It is 17 years ago next month that as an organizer organize the largest antiwar protest in Seattle, 50000 people strong at the Seattle Center and I stood. Speak before the crowd with my predecessor Congressman Jim McDermott to say that we could not go to war because we did not know that there were weapons of Mass destruction. So let us learn from this last pass this bill, as well as the repeal of the ACA, UMF and a strong war powers resolution to say that this is Congress's job and it's time we do it. Thank you, Senator Sanders Thank you, Representative Cohen and all of my colleagues that have been here but specially wanna thank my congressman for her leadership in the House of Representatives and to be here with Senator Lee Gillibrand said. I mean Congresswoman Lee is very right. We need to get back to the JCPOA. The US Constitution is clear the President Cannot go to war without the authorization of Congress and President Trump needs to follow the law in Congress needs to hold him accountable this bill. Create the very important bright line that specifically calls out our actions related to Iran and can help us and preventing further escalation. Congress will use the power of the purse to stop from putting our men and women in harm's way with the President and that is what we need to do with passing this legislation as my colleagues have said Even Republicans agree the President needs to be held accountable for his actions in the Middle East and he cannot go to. He comes to the Congress. We need a strategy to deal with Iran. This involves our allies and diplomatic solutions for the region. We do not need to start another war and we need to make sure that Congress doesn't job by using the power of the purse. I thank my colleagues for being here today. If any question you were in that briefing with the administration laid out their process for this attack, you describe it is the evidence being lacking careful intimidate. If you put as much as you can realizing that it's a classified brief break and going to go into the specifics by why you thought their evidence was thin it. What more you like to see from the administration about their sponsor. You don't have to take my word for it. I think you can hear what Republican senators that hearing. We have to study for always agree with the bottom line is we did not hear any. Playing against The topic of breathing where their particular reapers and members administration that you're disappointed with disappointed with the way. You mentioned the Rockies to kick out US forces if you win the election. How long would you want to keep you as far as I have voted against the war in Iraq? I will do my best present to bring how truth home as soon as possible, but I wouldn't do it to retweet, do it by creating a situation where you get kicked out of what we need to do is work with the government to work with other allies in the region and make sure that they are. Given where the situation is now what steps do you think Trump needs to pay at this point to resolve? I think first of all we need to understand and come to Congress and say I have read the constitution of the United States and I have no intention of engaging in unless I have authorization from the United States Congress, that would be the most importantly future. The last 15 years and that is an excellent question and I can I think it is a new problem. Somebody else can jump in as well. I mean I think perhaps the answer has been the fear of somebody who leaves seen as being tough on terrorism. not prepared to defend troops all way up, but the truth is we have seen under Republican and Democratic administrations Congress. Utilizing its responsibility under the constitution of the artist, I am very very happy here. I have mentioned that is a result of the disaster horrific. Legend intervention in Yemen, which has cost the lives of tens of tens of thousands. Desperate country find the House and the Senate did the right thing. Unfortunately, not by the President will be finally used the Organization of the Walk to do the right thing. Okay. If you're gonna be calling for the intelligence any of it to be declassified and then made public or even just certain parts of it well, I think as much information as the American people can receive and certainly just anybody help. I just wanted to call your attention to one statement that the Pentagon publicly issued right after the assassination in the military strikes there statement said that and this is the final conclusion of their state. The final paragraph in their statement was this the Military action was conducted to prevent and deter in our paraphrase in the state to prevent or deter future attacks. As it relates to the imminent threat, I'm still trying to understand what future attacks men did. this mean eminent that it being passed. Did it mean current did it mean future? And so I would hope that the present drill down a little bit with the Pentagon to ask them because they did not use the term imminent threat in their initial statement right after the attack and also just with regard to why Congress has been missing in action in many respects, I think. Sanders is absolutely correct in terms of the notion that braining in any President would mean that we are soft on terrorism which we are not and I believe that the public has been way ahead of members of Congress and now the voice of the people are being heard very, very, very loudly that they do not want another war. I'm gonna see if I can alright. Thank you for thanking me. 30 news conference.