DIRECTING THE PRESIDENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(C) OF THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REMOVE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM LEBANON

On 2026-06-03, Representative Max L. Miller (R-OH-7) delivered a floor speech titled "DIRECTING THE PRESIDENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(C) OF THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REMOVE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM " in the House.

DIRECTING THE PRESIDENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(C) OF THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REMOVE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM LEBANON

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 94 (Wednesday, June 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 3, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3814-H3822] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] DIRECTING THE PRESIDENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(C) OF THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REMOVE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM LEBANON Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of June 3, 2026, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 84) directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from Lebanon, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House today, the concurrent resolution is considered read. The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows: H. Con. Res. 84 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), removal of united states armed forces from lebanon Section 1. Pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from Lebanon by not later than the date that is 7 days after the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The concurrent resolution shall be debated for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by Representative Mast of Florida and Representative Tlaib of Michigan, or their respective designees. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Florida. General Leave Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida? There was no objection. Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we must end the U.S. participation in the Israeli Government's violent assault on Lebanon. Over 3,400 people in Lebanon have been massacred since the start of the Israeli apartheid government's brutal invasion and indiscriminate bombing campaign. Children, Mr. Speaker, medics, journalists, schools, hospitals, churches, mosques have all been targeted by the Israeli Government. Critical civilian infrastructure and entire residential neighborhoods are systematically being destroyed. More than 1.2 million people have been forced to leave their homes or be killed with the Israeli military telling them they will not be allowed to return. Last week, Mr. Speaker, the Israeli Government issued a forced displacement order for all the areas south of the Zahrani River, declaring the entire vast region to a combat zone. Mr. Speaker, that is 14 percent of all of Lebanon, home to hundreds of thousands of people of all faiths as well as over 300 cities and towns, including Lebanon's fourth largest city, Tyre. [[Page H3815]] That is 14 percent of the country told to either leave or die. This is not a national security, Mr. Speaker. This is an ethnic cleansing campaign. The Israeli leaders and the Cabinet members are open about this. Finance Minister Smotrich literally called for the annexing of at least 10 percent of Lebanon saying that the new Israeli border must be up to the Litani River. Defense Minister Katz of Israel has openly stated that the Government of Israel plans to pursue an indefinite military occupation of southern Lebanon up to the river, even after the war is over. The National Security Minister Ben-Gvir has proposed Israel to go even further to conquer and occupy Lebanese territory all the way north of the river. These are not fringe figures. They are the Israeli security cabinet. They are most powerful decisionmakers in the Israeli Government. Mr. Speaker, they have made it clear that their goal is to do to Lebanon what they did in Gaza. The Israeli military officials even stated that their aim is to implement ``the Gaza model'' in Lebanon. I can go on and on in explaining this, but I think what is important to understand is the act of the psychological terror, putting leaflets all throughout Beirut threatening Lebanon with repeat of the remarkable success in Gaza. I want my colleagues to know that over the last 3 months we have already seen these horrific threats become a reality. {time} 1740 This Congress did nothing to save lives in Gaza. We must act now, though, to prevent the same fate in Lebanon. I want folks to know we are here because the United States is not a bystander to these war crimes. It is an active participant. The Trump administration has engaged in unlawful and unauthorized participation in hostilities as part of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in violation of the War Powers Act. The Trump administration is providing intelligence, coordinating strikes, and demonstrating overt command over Israeli military decisions, including green-lighting specific Israeli attacks and operations throughout Lebanon, including Beirut. The President of the United States has, in his own public statements, over a period of months, asserted authority to approve, prohibit, condition, and direct specific Israeli military operations. In one such example, the Israeli Government sought and was granted Trump's green light for its May 6 strike, the strike on Beirut, and coordinated with the U.S. in advance to coordinate with Israeli officials. Even Israel's State officials mentioned this and said it publicly. Even Israel's own public government state broadcasting station admitted it. Not only is the Trump administration illegally participating in this violent campaign, but it is openly ignoring congressional oversight, Mr. Speaker, of the U.S. Armed Forces' involvement in Lebanon. On May 7, Senator Welch and a number of Senators wrote to the administration requesting specific information about U.S. coordination with the Israeli strikes, about the Israeli strikes, and other actions that would violate the War Powers Act, including refueling, intelligence-sharing, targeting, and other assistance. We all know the Senators have not received any answers, and the executive branch has not even tried to argue that the U.S. role in the Israeli hostilities in Lebanon complies with U.S. law. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority, Mr. Speaker, and immediately vote to end the U.S. participation in the destruction of Lebanon. I want to make one thing clear, though, and it is super important for my colleagues to understand. Section 5(c) of the War Powers Act makes it clear that the Lebanon War Powers Resolution only applies to U.S. Armed Forces engaged in hostilities. The resolution will not affect U.S. training and support of Lebanese Armed Forces or the routine protection of U.S. diplomatic facilities, neither of which is involved in hostilities. The War Powers Resolution exclusively ends the U.S. participation and ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon. That is what this vote is about, nothing less. The American people are tired. They are exhausted, exhausted of these endless wars. They are tired of hearing that we don't have money for healthcare and childcare, yet, here we are, U.S. bombs destroying hospitals and stealing the future of children abroad. This vote on the Lebanon War Powers Resolution is a clear, moral choice. Do you stand with the Netanyahu government and Trump's endless war crimes, or do you stand with human life, peace, and justice? Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I just listened to my colleague, Representative Tlaib, speak for about 6 minutes, trying to convince us that Israeli action in Lebanon is about ethnic cleansing. Not once in the 6 minutes did my colleague mention Hezbollah, the terrorist organization that Israel is going in there and killing. In 6 minutes of rambling on, not one mention of Hezbollah, not one mention of the 1,729 rockets fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel since April 7, not one mention of the 1,680 UAVs and drones sent into Israel since April 7, not one mention of the 283 Israelis injured or the 15 killed by Hezbollah since April 7. She wants you to believe that it is about ethnic cleansing and not fighting Hezbollah. Okay. Let's talk about her actual policy. Her actual policy says this: Congress directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from Lebanon. Pretty straightforward. Let me let my colleague know, Representative Tlaib, that the United States is not at war in Lebanon. The United States is not engaged in hostilities in Lebanon. I don't know how else I can say it. This resolution, it is reckless, and it is unserious. You are asking to remove U.S. troops in a country where we are not in conflict. Israel is killing terrorists. I just listed off all the attacks that have gone on just since early April, but we are not in conflict there. You are saying we can't keep any military there. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) to engage in a colloquy. Can we leave no military there, Representative Tlaib? Ms. TLAIB. I would like to know if Ms. Karam, a university student from the Christian village of Qlayaa in south Lebanon--she wasn't a terrorist. She was murdered on Monday. She was returning home after completing her exams at the Lebanese University in Beirut. Look it up. The Israeli bomb targeted her family's car, killing her alongside her brother, Tony, and her father, James, who is a dental surgeon in the community. He wasn't a terrorist. Mr. MAST. Prove it. Ms. TLAIB. Our country must stop aiding in these killings. To me, she was not a terrorist. She was a human being who should b

Referenced legislation: HCONRES84, HCONRES84, HRES845