Local Members Of Congress Respond To Killing Of Iranian General

EVANSTON, IL — Members of Congress representing the North Shore responded Friday to the U.S. airstrike that killed a prominent Iranian general.

Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds force, was targeted in near Baghdad's airport in a drone attack that also killed Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and four other people. Local representatives called for deescalation to avoid a full-blown war with Iran.

President Donald Trump said Soleimani was plotting a "very major attack and we got him." Speaking to a crowd in Miami, Trump said the U.S. was not seeking regime change, but terrorists should be warned not to threaten the lives of American citizens.

"Qassem Soleimani has been killed and his bloody rampage is now forever gone," Trump said. "He was plotting attacks against Americans but now we've assured that his atrocities have been stopped for good."

Evanston Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsky issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict with Iran, warning the assassination of the Iranian general makes the United States less safe and could lead to broader war:

"Far from making Americans safer, this reckless action by President Trump has put our country on the brink of war with Iran.

"It follows in a long line of decisions that began with his unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran that was one of the most successful diplomatic achievements of recent history. That agreement was successfully preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, supported by the entire international community, and had made Americans safer by avoiding a cataclysmic war.

"Iran is three times larger than Iraq – with massive military capability. Most Americans believe that the War in Iraq was a horrific mistake. Seventeen years later, we still have troops in Iraq. A war with Iran could be even worse – costing far more in taxpayer dollars and American lives.

"Qasem Soleimani was certainly an enemy of the United States. But his assassination is a major escalation in President Trump’s conflict with Iran, that makes us less safe. It will inevitably lead to Iranian retaliation – potentially using its proxies throughout the Middle East. That retaliation will likely extend to American allies in the region – and could explode into a broader war throughout the Middle East and beyond.

"Americans must demand that President Trump deescalate tensions with Iran – coordinate with Congress, and our allies around the world — and work toward peace."

Related:
Watch Again: President Trump Speaks In Miami
Iran Vows 'Severe Revenge' In Response To U.S. Airstrikes
Rising Iran-US Tension After Killing Of General: AP
Trump Orders U.S. Airstrike In Baghdad, Killing Senior Iranian

Deerfield Democrat Rep. Brad Schneider said the assassinated general was certainly villainous, but said sustained military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran would require congressional approval.

"No American should grieve over the killing of Qassem Soleimani, a terrorist and war criminal responsible for hundreds of American deaths and incalculable carnage in Iraq, Syria and the region.

"Unlike other terrorist leaders including bin Laden and al-Baghdadi, Soleimani led a state-sponsored force, and the President’s decision to escalate U.S. actions and attack a state actor may likely result in retaliatory steps from Iran or its proxy
forces. It is incumbent on President Trump to protect American personnel abroad, coordinate defenses with our allies in the region including Israel, and prevent dangerous escalation in an already volatile part of the world.

"President Trump must directly communicate with Congress, with the American people, and with our international partners to lay out a comprehensive, long-term American strategy that contains the Iranian regime, stops the situation from spiraling out of control, and protects American interests and our allies. This strategy must also include a plan to work with our allies to prevent Iran from accelerating its nuclear program toward ‘break out status’ and to ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon.

"Ultimately, any sustained action against Iran requires Congressional approval. The Administration does not have Congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) or a declaration of war against Iran. The American people do not want an unnecessary war and are rightly anxious about where we go from here."

Illinois' two Democratic U.S. senators likewise warned of the danger of an escalating deadly conflict without congressional approval.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the president does not have the authority to draw the U.S. into a war unilaterally. American troops and

"I first ran for office to ensure that when the drums of war beat loudly in Washington, I would be able to remind my colleagues in Congress and the White House what the true costs of war actually are—not just in dollars, but in American troops' lives as well.

There is no question that Iranian Major General Soleimani posed a threat to the free world, but there is also no question that the President—any President—does not have Constitutional authority to draw the United States into a war without prior Congressional approval. This solemn duty is solely for Congress to decide, but the Trump Administration appears to have failed to inform the people’s representatives of his actions and, in doing so, may very well lead us to war.

That’s unacceptable. Donald Trump owes it to our troops and to our Constitution to follow the law, provide the American people the transparency they deserve and ensure Congress is able to perform its Constitutional duties.

In a statement, senior Illinois Sen. Durbin noted the Iraqi government has sided against its U.S. sponsor and reminded Republicans of their constitutional responsibilities to authorize war.

"The killing of Iranian General Soleimani invites even further escalation by a President who has a poor record of judgment in dealing with world powers.

"While President Obama successfully negotiated a nuclear arms agreement with Iran that included Russia and China, President Trump walked away from the agreement and promised confrontation with Iran. Now Iraq – a country where America has invested thousands of American lives and trillions of taxpayer dollars – has sided with Iran.

"Before my Senate colleagues reflexively back the Administration, remember the Constitutional responsibility of Congress to authorize war; ask the critical questions of what led us to this point and where we are headed, and be a reliable source of support for the men and women who bear the burden of battle."

Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced a war powers resolution, which will force a vote in the Senate. The resolution mandates Congress must sign off on any war with Iran through a declaration of war or authorization for use of military force. It explicitly does not limit the U.S. from defending itself from an imminent attack.

"The Senate must not let this President march into another war in the Middle East without authorization from Congress," Durbin said. "The Constitution is clear – only the Congress can declare war. And whether it does or not, we must ask critical questions of what led us to this point and where we are headed, and be a reliable source of support for the men and women who bear the burden of battle."