Congresswoman Lee Sends Bipartisan Letter to President Obama on Iraq
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lee (D-CA), Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) sent President Obama a bipartisan letter reiterating their call for him to come to Congress for authorization of any further use of military force in Iraq.
The letter was sent in response to recent news that the U.S. has sent additional military personnel to Iraq and the President’s reference to U.S. involvement as a “long-term project.”
The first letter, sent in early July, was signed by more than 100 Members of Congress and called for congressional authorization before military action in Iraq.
“My colleagues and I support the President’s limited mission to prevent genocide and protect U.S. personnel,” said Congresswoman Lee. “However, we have deep concerns over the scope and duration of the U.S. mission in Iraq.”
The letter restates Congress’s constitutional authority to debate and authorize the use of force.
“Congress has a constitutional responsibility to debate matters of war and peace,” added Congresswoman Lee. “Before any further military escalation or mission expansion, Congress should be reconvened to debate and vote on an authorization.”
The text of today’s letter can be found here.
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Follow Barbara Lee on Facebook and Twitter at @RepBarbaraLee. To learn more, visit lee.house.gov.
Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, as well as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), where she serves as the Co-Chair of the CPC Peace and Security Task Force.