WASHINGTON, January 11 — Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) issued the following statement regarding the bipartisan No War Against Iran Act, introduced by Sanders and co-sponsored by Lee:
“As United States Senators, we often disagree on many issues. But standing up for the Constitution is not about partisanship. The Founding Fathers were absolutely clear. They wanted to ensure that our country avoided needless conflict and they understood that presidential war-making would be harmful to our democracy.
“That is why Article I of the Constitution vests Congress—and only Congress—with the power to declare war and to direct government spending. The American people’s elected representatives have a duty to publicly debate and vote on military action before we send our brave servicemembers into harm’s way or spend a penny on military hostilities.
“Our bill—the No War Against Iran Act—utilizes Congress’s power of the purse to block any funds from going to an unauthorized war with Iran. As our country faces the possibility of another devastating conflict in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions of dollars, the Senate must vote on our legislation without delay.
“We are proud to have worked together in a bipartisan way to help end the disastrous, unauthorized U.S. war in Yemen, which has killed tens of thousands of innocent people over the past five years. Last year, for the first time in American history, the House and Senate passed our War Powers Resolution to end that horrific conflict. We are committed to doing everything in our power to work together once again and build bipartisan majorities in order to prevent an unconstitutional war with Iran.”
Sanders and Lee first partnered on the landmark War Powers Resolution to end U.S. military participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen in February 2018. The two lawmakers repeatedly forced Congressional votes on the measure until it was adopted by Congress in April 2019. The bill was subsequently vetoed by President Trump.
