LEXINGTON, Ky. — “Today, without the approval of Congress, the President recklessly ordered a large-scale military operation against Iran in an act of war. These actions bypass the Constitution and threaten to draw the United States into a broader conflict with no credible endgame.

There is an American way to decide matters of war and peace. It requires debate. It requires Congress. It requires the consent of the American people. This is not it. 

As a U.S. Senator, I would vote against authorizing this war. I stand firmly with leaders in both parties who believe the United States must not enter another open-ended military conflict absent clear national security imperatives and a broad consensus at home. 

If Iran’s nuclear capabilities were neutralized months ago as the administration previously claimed, then it must explain why we are launching a military campaign now. If the objective is regime change, seasoned military leaders know that it will require far more than airstrikes. The American people deserve to know exactly what that commitment would cost in lives, time, and resources.

Congress must immediately return to session and vote on a war powers resolution. The power to send American service members into combat does not belong to one person; it belongs to the people’s representatives.

I have flown combat missions, and I know what it means to send Americans into harm’s way. Military force without a clearly defined political objective is wrong. It risks lives without purpose and commits our nation to consequences that demand far greater accountability than we have seen here.”

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