“America must be strong and smart. Today’s actions were launched by a president who has rarely proven to be either.

"Let me be clear: The Iranian regime is one of the most dangerous, destabilizing forces in the Middle East. It has American blood on its hands. It has armed and supported terrorist proxies who have killed tens of thousands. It has brutalized its own people, killing thousands in recent weeks, simply for demanding basic human rights and a future free from oppression. Iran remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an intolerable threat to the United States, to our allies, and to global security. That outcome must never be allowed.

"But none of these facts suspend our Constitution or confer upon any president the authority to unilaterally wage war. The Constitution is unambiguous: Congress alone has the power to declare war and to authorize the use of military force.

"Today, Americans are feeling less safe because President Trump launched 'massive and ongoing' military strikes on Iran without Congressional authorization, without meaningful consultation with lawmakers, and without presenting a credible legal justification or coherent strategy. He has taken our nation into a major military confrontation with the stated intent of regime change and in doing so has put our troops, our diplomats, and our regional partners at grave risk, while dragging the United States toward another costly and protracted conflict in the Middle East.

"The president has presented no strategy for what happens if the Iranian regime collapses.

"No plan for managing the inevitable power struggle among armed factions.

"No plan for securing nuclear material.

"No plan for preventing a humanitarian catastrophe.

"No plan for protecting tens of thousands of U.S. troops and civilians across a region now on high alert.

"No plan for coordinating with suddenly imperiled neighboring nations.

"No plan for what comes after the bombs.

"And no transparency with Congress or the American people about the human and financial costs of his military actions.

"In fact, in the weeks before these attacks, even Secretary of State Rubio cautioned that no one can predict what would follow the fall of Iran’s leadership and that the risks to U.S. forces and regional stability would be enormous. These warnings were not heeded.

"Military action alone cannot solve Iran’s nuclear challenge. We saw this last year when President Trump claimed he had 'completely obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program with a set of strikes - claims that were swiftly proven false. The American people deserve honesty, not bluster; clarity and sober judgment, not reckless adventurism in matters of national security.

"The Trump administration must immediately brief Congress on the intelligence, objectives, legal basis, and long-term strategy underlying today’s action. Congress must reassert its constitutional role - not simply roll over - because war and peace cannot be left to the impulses of any one president, especially not this one.

"We should have learned from the last two decades of conflict in the Middle East that wars launched without clear goals and without an end-state in mind rarely end well. They cost lives, destabilize regions, embolden adversaries, and weaken America’s moral standing.

"I am grateful for the professionalism and bravery of our service members who now find themselves in harm’s way, and I pray for their safety. They are the finest fighting force in human history, willing to shoulder dangers most Americans will never see. They deserve leadership guided by strategy, grounded in law, and worthy of their sacrifice - not reckless decision making that places them in the path of escalating danger."

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