Booker Statement on Breaking News on Iran

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the below statement on the breaking news on Iran:

“For months, this Administration has led us on a march to war, with no off ramp. This is not reality television, where decisions are made in the pursuit of maximum drama. The President together with his top officials have been bent on escalating an already tenuous situation in the Middle East, with no plan in place to de-escalate tensions. This is a crisis of his own making — his reckless and erratic Iran policy is responsible for this combustible moment.

“As I have said, this Administration’s clear march to war has dramatically increased the potential for miscalculation that threatens to turn even a minor dispute into a regional conflagration that would be more devastating than our misguided war in Iraq.

“To be absolutely clear, the 2001 AUMF does not grant the President authority to strike Iran — for that, he must go to Congress. Any military action in Iran that circumvents Congressional approval is a blatant and unconstitutional power grab.”