Senator Lankford Opposes War Powers Resolution

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today opposed a Senate Resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would limit the President’s ability to direct the US military to carry out strategic attacks on Iranian terrorists regardless of whether an “imminent threat” to American lives is present.

“No one should want a war with the people of Iran. The Iranian people are not our enemy. The vote in the Senate today was not about declaring war or preventing a war with Iran, it was about the clear authority that any President of the United States has to defend the people of our nation from the threats of a declared terrorist organization,” said Lankford. “The actions taken earlier this year to protect American lives by carrying out a precision strike on Qasem Soleimani, the head of the terrorist Quds Force and Abu Muhandis the head of the terrorist organization Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq were not the beginning of a war with Iran, they were a preemptive military strike based on intelligence of an imminent threat to US personnel in the region. Military leaders cannot wait for a vote in Congress before they protect American lives.

“It is unwise for Congress to seek to micromanage our military and limit our ability to respond quickly to threats. We should continue to work on our long-term strategy to prevent terrorists from harming Americans. The military needs clear boundaries for engagement, but when the leaders of two declared terror organizations are together planning an attack on Americans, our military should not have to hesitate and worry about support from Congress.”

The resolution was introduced following the President’s decision to carry out a strategic strike in Iraq that killed Iranian terrorist leader General Soleimani earlier this month in advance of an imminent threat to American facilities and personnel in the region. Following the successful strike, Lankford joined Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to cosponsor a resolution to honor the US military and national security personnel who helped bring an end to Soleimani’s reign of terror.

###