Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for Congress to use its power to prevent war with Iran following the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Soleimani, who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, was killed near Baghdad International Airport on Thursday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Soleimani was targeted because they had intelligence suggesting he was an imminent threat toward Americans abroad.
[Related: Rashida Tlaib slams Trump after Soleimani strike]
Congress now has a moral and legal obligation to reassert its power to stop this war and protect innocent people from horrific consequences.
We have two immediate options:
1. Vote on a War Powers Resolution, which requires Trump to attain Congressional approval.
2.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 3, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Friday afternoon, “Last night the President engaged in what is widely being recognized as an act of war against Iran, one that now risks the lives of millions of innocent people. Now is the moment to prevent war & protect innocent people – the question for many is how, publicly & Congressionally.”
“Right now is the moment to decide if you are pro-peace or not,” the New York Democrat continued. “The cheerleaders of war, removed from its true cost, will gladly convince you that up is down – just as they did in Iraq in ‘03. But war does not establish peace. War does not create security. War endangers us all.”
She then added, “Congress now has a moral and legal obligation to reassert its power to stop this war and protect innocent people from horrific consequences,” before urging Congress to either vote on a War Powers Resolution, which would force President Trump to obtain congressional approval for actions related to Iran, or to reintroduce an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.
[Click here to read more Soleimani coverage]
2. Reintroduce & vote on @RepRoKhanna’s bipartisan NDAA amendment, which blocks $ offensive action to Iran.
This amendment passed the House w/ bipartisan support not long ago, and was later gutted in negotiations. We can bring it back as a standalone bill.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 3, 2020
“This amendment passed the House w/ bipartisan support not long ago, and was later gutted in negotiations. We can bring it back as a standalone bill,” Ocasio-Cortez stated.
The congresswoman’s statements are similar to those of her freshman colleague Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who said, “We are outraged the president would assassinate a foreign official.”
