consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, today the senate will vote on a today the senate will vote on a today the senate will vote on bipartisan war powers resolution offered by senator kane directing the president to terminate the use of hostilities. against republic of iran. the constitution is clear. congress has the power to declare war. the president has no authority to enter the united states into another and this conflict in the

middle east. the idea the president erotic position making his lack of strategy and inability to control its publicist, they bundle us on the left even if he doesn't contend that. with this bipartisan resolution, the senate will assert its constitutional authority to send a clear bipartisan message that the president or any president cannot step congress when it comes to matters of peace. it's important to do this now the president's actions the middle east escalated the confrontation, the state of then union, the president himself said work with iran was closer than you thought, his words. let me be clear. nobody in this chamber will shed a single tear over the death of soleimani. that doesn't mean we disregard the potential consequences of the strike or any comparable action. it's more than appropriate for congress to affirm that it has authority over any major

long-term hostilities with iran. as the constitution prescribes. yet, still some of the other side has claimed this war powers resolution is nothing more than an attempt by democrats to embarrass president trump. the founding fathers, one of the great inga congress next the executive but the power to declare war. it's resolution is partisan, a good number of republicans supporting it. m let me say this again. this resolution is going to pass with the bipartisan majority of senators in support, a rarity these days. if this is purely an attempt to embarrass the president, it's going to be a bipartisan one. we need to stop pretending both sides of the aisle on concerned about the president having too much leeway over the matters of war and peace. that's why this resolution is bipartisan because both sides of the aisle agree that for too long, congress proceeded are

constitutional authority to the executive branch. we are taking an important step to claim the a 30 back. today there will be amendments would seek to do one thing and one thing only. undermine what we are trying to achieve today. provide the president's lawyers a get out of jail free card. my colleague from arkansas has an amendment that would create an exception or operations against the organizations. an enterprising lawyer in the administration could use this amendment to justify the type of unilateral hostilities the legislation would prohibit. a colleague from florida seeks a similar outcome. my friends on both sides who wish this resolution to pass should vote on these amendments that cut against the core of legislation. senator kaine told me that if this amendmentd, passes, can't e

forced to vote against his own bill. what good would it do? one final. >> , with respect to thent situation in iran, we still don't have a clear picture from the administration about our strategy in the region. the only gesture of transparency this of ministration has been able to muster was aef classifid briefing conducted more than a week after the strike. ninety-seven attended but only 15 members to ask questions before the administration. secretary pompeo practically sprinted out the door with the commitment to the term. demands for follow-up briefing have been by the white house, secretary pompeo. both briefings should have occurred before the action. i learned about what we were doing.s in the news and two hours later got a call from the administration. t i fear by keeping congress and the american people in the dark,

president trump may be directing military operations in a manner that doesn't stand up to public scrutiny. we are forced to consult with congress, when congress has the power to declarere war, quick ad sloppy thinking evaporates because people have to at least examine the issues in some detail in the american public has to say. that's why senator kaine's war power resolution is a matter of necessity, i commend him and his colleagues on the job he's done including my colleague from illinois sitting right here. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it. the department of justice. since the conclusion of the president impeachment trial, the president has reminded us of all the reasons why congress must start with a check on the executive. the president has dismissed members of the administration in the house impeachment inquiry. including, for no reason, the twin brother of one of the witnesses. the administration hasel

reportedly withdrawn the nomination of the senior advised our colleagues about the legal implications and delaying essistance to ukraine. truth. when the president had no place in this administration and people who speak through the power are similarly dismissed. on tuesday, after prosecutors made sentencing recommendations for waterstone, who was found guilty of witness tampering and lying to congress, the president tweeted his former poly confident was being unfairly treated. it appears the attorney general of political appointees of the d.o.j. counter demands the recommendation among more lenient sentences for the presence friends. as a result, the prosecutors connected to the stone case would be resigned from the justice department entirely. r a clear signal they believe poor senses, conflicted with our professional and anti-

obligations prosecutors. those not enough the president to adjust lien on the justice department to make it easy on his old pal. the president wentid on publicly to attack the judge will decide mr. stoned fate. another example of the president's blatant contempt to the independence judiciary. in the past, chief justice roberts has broken out in defense of the independence judicial branch. when the president during his campaign attacked the judge, chief justice released a statement saying we do not have obama judges or trump or clean judges, we have an extraordinary group of dedicated judges to do their best, for equal rights for those appearing before them. independent sherry is something we should all be thankful for. that's what justice roberts said. chief justice roberts. president trump is once again

attacking a federal judge, iner this case judge amy, presiding over the stone case, a nation now looks again to chief justice roberts to make clear to president trump that these attacks are unacceptable. speaking of the independence of the judiciary in broad and general terms as well and good, a good thing to do but to not speak up now when, in the middle of this, a judge is being attacked by the president before she makes a sentencings decisio, that's when we really need chief justice to speak up. now would be the time for chief justice roberts to speak up. now would be the time for the chief justice to specifically defend the independence of this federal judge. i hope he will see fit to do that and do it today. i've also called onpa the inspector general of the justice department to investigate the

roger stone matter. the judiciaryna committee should do the same. even without formal investigation, it's abundantly clear that something is rotten in the justice department. the president can corrupt our justice department into major ways. pressuring it to investigate opponent, using its power tot reward his parents. impeachment of the president concerned the first abuse. the president wanted a foreign power to announce an investigation into one of his political opponents or final incriminating information to our justice department. the president explicitly mentioned the attorney general during his phone call with the ukrainian president. more recently, attorney general barr has publicly said the justice department now set up a channel to receive information from president's personal attorney rudy giuliani. about the ukraine scandal.

there seems to be an attempt to accomplish the same goal the president was just impeached over. the events surrounding mr. stoned meaning sentencing on example, the second way the president can corrupt the justice department and properly reward the presidents friends. in the wake of watergate, crucial reforms of the abuse the levers of power would not happen again. here right at the president is using the justice department, the cabinet agencies named for ideal justice as his personal law firm. he's using the justice department, or an ideal justice as his personal lawyer. what a shame. a defamation of what the constitution is all about. my senate colleagues believe the president would be chasing byby impeachment is completely and disastrously wrong. the only class in the president has learned is there's nothing or can do that senate

republicans will not forgive or rationalize for simply ignoring. lesson the president has learned is that the courts are on like to stop them, too. the caucuses voted to confirm virtually every judges nominated, no matter how unqualified or suited they are. we are starting at a crisis of the rules of law. the institutions denied the check executiveer power are crumbling before our very eyes. the crisis was the president on making but it was enabled and emboldened by every senate republican who's been too afraid to stand up to the president. i yield the floor. >> madam president.

>> senator from new jersey. >> asked to speak today. >> without objection. >> thank you. i rise in a strong support of 68, a member of the extraordinary job here, the congressional responsibility that is paramount.al a cause for the removal of the u.s. troops and hostilities against iran by congress is not authorized. one of the most consequential decisions we make as members of congress and it falls on on more than one occasion between the house and the senate is whether or not our sons and daughters are sent to battle. a decision that's about life and death. the national security. the constitution delegated that power to only one institution of the entire federal government.

the congress of the united states to declare war because of the severity of the consequences of the decision. up to the congress to ensure the executive branch won't ever sit there at any given time. it utilizes all the tools of diplomacy it has to keep america safe. there is an effective check on executive power before we send children off to work. his body must assert its congressional privilege. of course the president has the right to take actions to defend against imminent threats to the homeland and america abroad. nobody disputes that. none of us do. the president doess not have the authority to engage in any military that he likes. we have been hearing from this administration, iran cannot have nuclear weapon. i agree.

at the end of the day, that sets to enforce your redline, he will take america to war, then you must come to the congress of the united states and seek the authorization. when i hear from the administration or that we have article two powers. they have nothing to do with ayn rand. never envisioned, so tortured to be able to suggest that is it an authorization. can we set back and set that ability, we cannot. against the war in iraq, served in congress and whether to authorize military action, i can assure you that it was not its intention, the 2002 resolution. it's not the history or the reading of the text.

i'm gravely concerned by the administration's efforts to build legal foundation with the explicit percepts of carrying out wars including potentially against iran. before we go to ultimately decide that, the congress of the united states should make that decision on behalf of the american people, looking our sons and daughters in the eyes and say yes, this is worthy of a national security of the united states. i will vote to send my son or daughter, when the cause is not right, i will not send my son or daughter or anyone else's sons and daughters. that's what senator cain was trying to do to this resolution. i'm concerned some of the amendments being offered is to undermine that. i look forward to joining senator cain passing resolution as well. i yield back. >> i think president trump's