U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth says the Trump Administration should come to Congress before it authorizes any military action against Iran.
Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, the Illinois Democrat accused the Trump Administration of trying to manufacture a war. She says that decision should be left to the House and Senate.
"They must bring their case to Congress, and give the American people a say through their elected representatives. They must respect our servicemembers enough to provide and prove why war with Iran is worth turning more moms and dads into Gold Star parents."
Senator Duckworth says pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and ratcheting up talks of sanctions can bring life or death consequences for American servicemen and women.
"And in that effort, they're using our troops as bait, as if they're trying to manufacture they're own 21 st Century Gulf of Tonkin crisis that they can use to justify war. In some sort of nightmare déjà vu, it's as if they're drawing from the same script that led us to Iraq."
Duckworth says she knows all too well the consequences that come from military action. The Army veteran lost her legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq.
She says this isn't a partisan issue - the U.S. Constitution provides that war must be declared by Congress, and she wants to make sure rules are followed.
