Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-05-19

WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

Tammy Baldwin

DWI · Senator

TaxesEnvironmentForeign PolicyDefenseLabor

Context

On 2026-05-19, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) delivered a floor speech titled "WAR POWERS RESOLUTION" in the Senate.

Full Text

WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2354-S2355] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] WAR POWERS RESOLUTION Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to President Trump's war of choice in Iran that has cost taxpayers billions and taken the lives of 13 American servicemembers. Since this war began over 11 weeks ago, it has been abundantly clear that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth don't know what they are doing. They have offered shifting rationales for why we are at war, moving the goalposts by the hour. There seems to be no plan or timeline for when this war will end. This administration has also been caught flat-footed at every turn, including not anticipating that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed and the skyrocketing gas prices that followed. It is not just Americans at home who are paying the price for this conflict. American servicemembers are sounding the alarm, too, that the Trump administration wasn't prepared to keep them safe. First, we learned that servicemembers who were injured in Kuwait in a March 1 drone strike had to wait nearly a month to get care for their traumatic brain injuries. Now we are learning that troops in the same unit had their calls for support from the Army ignored. Soldiers stationed in Kuwait asked for additional medical personnel and medical supplies before the war began, but that request was denied. These same soldiers also recount that they did not get the proper training for responding to an attack. They were told: Don't worry about protection. MAJ Stephen Ramsbottom told CBS News that he believed MSG Nicole Amor, an Army reservist who was killed in the attack, could have survived her wounds had the military been properly prepared for retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases. All of this points to a larger problem and a larger pattern of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth being totally reckless, starting a war without the careful planning necessary to protect Americans. And while two in three Americans say this war was the wrong decision, President Trump keeps threatening to ramp up this conflict, putting our troops further into harm's way. He has even hinted that he is interested in starting another war in Cuba. Americans didn't ask for this war of choice. Their elected representatives in Washington didn't even vote on it. And yet it is Americans who are paying the price every single day. I am glad to see more of my Republican colleagues are listening to their constituents, and I was pleased to see another vote to stop this reckless and illegal war. But it is not enough. It is time for Congress to finally be a check on this President. [[Page S2355]] Stand up for your constituents and our servicemembers, and join us in voting to stop this war. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader. ____________________

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WAR POWERS RESOLUTION Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2354-S2355] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] WAR POWERS RESOLUTION Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to President Trump's war of choice in Iran that has cost taxpayers billions and taken the lives of 13 American servicemembers. Since this war began over 11 weeks ago, it has been abundantly clear that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth don't know what they are doing. They have offered shifting rationales for why we are at war, moving the goalposts by the hour. There seems to be no plan or timeline for when this war will end. This administration has also been caught flat-footed at every turn, including not anticipating that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed and the skyrocketing gas prices that followed. It is not just Americans at home who are paying the price for this conflict. American servicemembers are sounding the alarm, too, that the Trump administration wasn't prepared to keep them safe. First, we learned that servicemembers who were injured in Kuwait in a March 1 drone strike had to wait nearly a month to get care for their traumatic brain injuries. Now we are learning that troops in the same unit had their calls for support from the Army ignored. Soldiers stationed in Kuwait asked for additional medical personnel and medical supplies before the war began, but that request was denied. These same soldiers also recount that they did not get the proper training for responding to an attack. They were told: Don't worry about protection. MAJ Stephen Ramsbottom told CBS News that he believed MSG Nicole Amor, an Army reservist who was killed in the attack, could have survived her wounds had the military been properly prepared for retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases. All of this points to a larger problem and a larger pattern of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth being totally reckless, starting a war without the careful planning necessary to protect Americans. And while two in three Americans say this war was the wrong decision, President Trump keeps threatening to ramp up this conflict, putting our troops further into harm's way. He has even hinted that he is interested in starting another war in Cuba. Americans didn't ask for this war of choice. Their elected representatives in Washington didn't even vote on it. And yet it is Americans who are paying the price every single day. I am glad to see more of my Republican colleagues are listening to their constituents, and I was pleased to see another vote to stop this reckless and illegal war. But it is not enough. It is time for Congress to finally be a check on this President. [[Page S2355]] Stand up for your constituents and our servicemembers, and join us in voting to stop this war. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader. ____________________