Rep. Chip Roy On His Votes On Use Of Force
Rep. Chip Roy released the following statement Friday regarding his votes on Use of Force:
"Today I voted along with 250 of my colleagues on an amendment that prohibits unauthorized offensive military force in or against Iran without Congress first acting.
To be clear, I firmly believe the Constitution gives the President all authority to act in defense of our nation at any time and in any place around the world. This includes pre-emptive strikes if deemed necessary to prevent a more dire circumstance. Under the War Powers Act, the President then has 48 hours to notify Congress, and can continue such operations for up to 60 days.
I do believe Iran is an enemy of the United States. They are supporters of malign activity around the world and continually provoke us and our allies – namely Israel. They fund terrorists and seek to harm our forward-deployed men and women. Their own entities are considered to be terrorist organizations and closely monitored. This behavior is not acceptable nor should it be indulged on the world stage.
I support the US withdrawal from the phony nuclear agreement (or JCPOA) and I support the sanctions the President has put in place. I believe Iran's reprehensible behavior should continue to be monitored closely. And met with appropriate and proportional responses.
I also dearly love the nation of Israel. I am privileged to have been there and witnessed the fragility of their democracy in a region of instability and monarchy. I joined my colleague Mr. Biggs in cosponsoring an amendment that was adopted to the underlying bill that reiterated it is the sense of Congress that we support Israel. While the US does not have a mutual-defense treaty with Israel, if called upon, we would come to Israel's defense and I would wholeheartedly support us doing so. I support our multiple levels of joint military cooperation and research and development and will continue to do so.
However, an attack on Iran in a situation that is not dire, and when US persons are not in immediate danger, should not be unilaterally derived from the President. In all possible circumstances, the President shall consult with Congress before waging war that is not pre-emptive or immediately defensive.
Congress is responsible for the expenditure of blood and treasure of the American people around the globe. We must take this responsibility more seriously and use our Constitutional right to declare war to carefully consider when we choose to expend our most valuable resource – the lives of our nation.
I want us to debate. To vote. To weigh and measure the wars we are in. I want to know what our goals and objectives are. What the consequences are.
We are the most lethal nation in the world and have the best military in the history of the world. But after nearly 18 years of fighting non-peer adversaries in the Middle East – and fighting an enemy that will never surrender – I believe we need to reassess and redefine our mission. What is winning?
I also voted to have Congress reassess the 2001 AUMF and to repeal the 2002 AUMF.
We need to be careful before engaging in another conflict in the Middle East until we can consolidate the victories we have had; create a plan for stabilizing the gains we have secured; commit to a long-term strategy for protecting our assets and interests; and be sure we resource the Pentagon properly to focus on the long-term modernization needs to win against our near-peer competitors Russia and China. We need to protect our own nation against the threats in our own hemisphere too. And most importantly, we need to better take care of our guys and gals who are no on their 7th, 8th, or 9th deployment, fighting what seem like endless battles. We beat Osama and Saddam. We have now nearly defeated ISIS. Let's be careful to re-stabilize before taking on another evil.
If we need to counter Iran, so be it. I am willing to entertain an argument and cast a vote in favor of engagement if a case is clearly made to me as to what we gain by doing so. But without clear evidence, I voted today to be sure Congress controls the purse strings. That no funds can be used on an Iran offensive operation without our support."
Robert Donachie | Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX)
1319 Longworth House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4236 | (202) 225-8628 (f)