Andy Kim

Mr. President, Claims · 121 wordsI rise today as Donald Trump continues to wage a war in Iran in our name, on our dime, ¹but without our say--a war that is nearly 7 months old, a war that has cost Americans billions, a war that seemingly has no end in sight but that Congress has the authority to end.² The Senate has just returned to the Capitol after over a month back home, and in that time, Americans have continued to be loud and clear at townhalls, at protests, and in letters and phone calls to our offices. They are sick and tired of this reckless and expensive war. They are sick and tired of this war, and they expect us to do something about it. Reasoning · 25 wordsThis is a moment for us to step up and show the American people that we are listening and we are ready to take action. Claims · 26 wordsDemocrats have taken action. We have come to this Chamber 11 times, in the past 208 days, to try to bring this war to an end.³ Thanks · 23 wordsI have been encouraged to see some of my colleagues join from across the aisle to do the right thing and join us.Thanks Reasoning · 28 wordsIt is not just the right thing to do; it is the right thing to do right now. It is about standing up for our Constitution--that this war, Claims · 69 wordswhich Donald Trump said would end in about a month, has lasted over six times as long; ⁴this war, which Donald Trump wouldn’t even admit to being a war, has resulted in damage done to our national security and the spread of chaos across the Middle East and the world; and this war, which Donald Trump said was worth the cost, keeps costing the American people more and more. Procedure · 6 wordsSo what has it cost us?Procedure Claims · 105 wordsIt has cost us American lives. We have lost at least 19 servicemembers, brave men and women; ⁵over 750 injured.⁶ It has cost us economic security. Inflation is up--gas prices, just filling up the grocery carts as well. These are costs that Donald Trump is bearing upon the American people. It is costing each and every one of our American families hard- earned taxpayer dollars. A report last week by the Congressional Budget Office showed that the war has cost nearly $40 billion in the first 4 months alone.⁷ It has cost us our readiness and our ability to keep Americans safe from global threats. Reasoning · 37 wordsThese are the things that we are seeing that are making us weaker and why it is that we need to end this now. So with this vote today, we can alleviate the cost of the war. Procedure · 29 wordsI want to talk a little bit more about why alleviating this cost is so important to the people we represent, to our national security, and to our future.Procedure Claims · 88 wordsWhen we hear from so many of our constituents, when I hear from a woman back home in New Jersey, she is talking about just the challenges that she is facing raising her family, about the challenges that she is seeing as gas prices continue to skyrocket, as mortgage rates are hitting higher and higher. She paused and she looked at me, she said-- all of this that is happening, the Iran war, all these different actions--she said: But what about us? What are we supposed to do? Reasoning · 16 wordsAnd her question is one that all of us should be considering here in the Chamber. Positioning · 12 wordsWhat about the American people? What are they getting out of this?Positioning Claims · 85 wordsWell, they are getting footed the bill. They are getting footed the sacrifice. They are the ones that are bearing this brunt. When we have a third of Americans already unable to handle a $400 emergency, that is not theoretical, that is their life right now.⁹ We see it as we see estimates already of gas prices going up so much that it is--what?--over $115 billion more than American families have had to bear, nearly $900 per household more since the start of this war.⁸ Positioning · 13 wordsAnd over and over again, is this making us safer and more secure?Positioning Claims · 65 wordsVery clearly, no. And we see that just with the continued attacks, the continued violence, the spread of this now with Saudi Arabia, the Houthis. We are seeing this all over the place through the Middle East. I have worked in war zones; I have worked in the Middle East as a State Department officer, ¹⁰as a diplomat; and I have seen where this heads. Reasoning · 6 wordsChaos is not a negotiating tactic. Positioning · 16 wordsTrump is simply in over his head here. The entire administration is in over their head, PositioningClaims · 59 wordsand, again, the American people are the ones bearing this cost. As we talk about that cost to our future, the war has cost a lot of money. I have shared with you the costs at the gas pump. We see how much we have had to pay in the past for the previous wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Reasoning · 7 wordsWe do not want that going forward. Claims · 12 wordsI literally just yesterday celebrated the birthday of one of my sons. Reasoning · 19 wordsI do not want him and his generation to bear the burdens of these reckless decisions made by Trump. Claims · 48 wordsThis is something we need to make sure we are pushing forward on. I think a lot about that woman in New Jersey that I mentioned. I wonder how she is holding up since I last talked to her, how she is bearing the cost of this war. Promise · 102 wordsAnd when we recess here shortly, I want to be able to go back to her and tell her what I heard, tell her what I tried to do, tell her what we tried to do here in the Senate. I wanted to tell her that I did everything that I could so she could breathe a little easier, be able to support her family in the way that she wants, that we--Democrats and Republicans--were able to come together and recognize that the cost to the American people is too great and that we need to work together to stop this war. The ask · 50 wordsSo please, I ask my colleagues here at the Senate: Join me. Let’s pass this resolution and do the right thing for the American people; do the right thing for our Constitution; do the right thing for our servicemembers in harm’s way; do the right thing by ending this war. Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.Procedure