U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois on Saturday called the Trump administration’s strikes on Iran “illegal” and said they happened “without a legitimate imminent threat to our homeland or our citizens.”
The U.S. and Israel launched a wave of airstrikes Saturday against Iran as part of a major military campaign intended to topple the Islamic regime, NPR reported. Iran responded with missile and drone launches of its own, spreading the conflict to the wider region.
Lawmakers who represent Bloomington-Normal and Greater Peoria issued statements on Saturday reacting to that news. Duckworth’s had some of the strongest language. The Democrat said Trump is threatening to “draw us into yet another expensive, taxpayer-funded forever war without Constitutionally-required authorization.”
“Donald Trump cannot stop breaking his promises to the American people. Too many Americans believed him when he promised that he would get our nation out of foreign wars and bring prices down for families. They can clearly see with their own eyes that he was lying,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, a Republican, said Saturday’s strikes were “a direct consequence of Iran’s actions and its refusal to pursue a peaceful path forward.”
“Iran has repeatedly rejected serious diplomatic efforts, despite President Trump and the United States making it abundantly clear that we will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon or retain the capability to do so,” LaHood said. “Rather than engage in good-faith negotiations, the Iranian regime has continued to fund terrorist organizations, destabilize the Middle East, murder its own citizens, and threaten the security of the United States and our allies.”
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat, said he was “deeply worried about the President’s decision to strike Iran, circumventing Congress.”
“Without an articulated plan to protect our national security and the safety of our allies, this action puts our servicemembers at great risk. Iranian retaliation could destabilize the Middle East and draw much of the world into a full-blown, drawn-out war,” Sorensen said.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said that “though there is bipartisan support for stopping the development of nuclear weapons in Iran, there is no consensus for another interminable war in the Middle East.”
“I was one of 23 senators who voted against the war in Iraq,” Durbin said. “A war in Iran with the goal of regime change could be another long-term military commitment with deadly consequences for thousands of American troops. The rash and unpredictable conduct of President Trump is a well-established worry in many ways but an impulsive commander in chief is a deadly combination.”
