"We must understand the cost and consequences," says Congresswoman Lee on Strategy to Degrade ISIS
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Lee released the following statement on efforts to degrade ISIS:
"I am fundamentally opposed to the authorization of an additional $5.6 billion in war funding and the deployment of another 1,500 U.S. troops to Iraq.
I will continue to oppose the incessant call of some Republicans for the deployment of U.S. ground combat troops to Iraq and Syria. After more than eight years of war, the loss of nearly 4,500 servicemen and women, and more than a trillion dollars spent, we cannot afford to engage in long-term military action in the region without a full and robust congressional debate on the costs and consequences of doing so.
For more than four months, the U.S. military has been conducting another war in Iraq, and has expanded it to Syria under the authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF) of 2001 and 2002, without a full and robust debate in Congress.
In 2001, I opposed the AUMF because I believed it was blank check for endless war. Thirteen years later, this AUMF has been used more than 30 times to justify military action.
The Constitution requires Congress to debate and vote on matters of war and peace. I have called and will continue to call for a full Congressional debate and vote on the use of military force in the Middle East.
We must understand the cost and consequences of this action to our long-term national security, regional security goals and domestic priorities.
Many national security experts have clearly stated that there is no military solution to ISIS. In order to ultimately degrade and dismantle ISIS, we must craft a robust regionally-led, political, economic and diplomatic strategy."
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.