AMERICANS DESERVE A SAY IN DECISIONS TO GO TO WAR

AMERICANS DESERVE A SAY IN DECISIONS TO GO TO WAR

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 49 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)] [House] [Page H2555] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AMERICANS DESERVE A SAY IN DECISIONS TO GO TO WAR (Ms. Dexter of Oregon was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, to the American people watching, I am here to say clearly on the floor of the House of Representatives: You deserve a say in whether our country goes to war. You deserve a say in whether our children are sent into combat. You deserve a say in whether your tax dollars are fueling a $1 billion-a-day conflict. You deserve a voice because the decision to go to war needs to reflect the will of the people who fight in and pay for that war. That will is exercised through the American people's elected Representatives in Congress. It is not about bureaucratic process. It is about the fact that you should have a say in whether your country goes to war. The White House has cut the American people out of that conversation to launch a war without articulating a compelling imminent threat. They are taking our children to war with no goal, no justification, and no off-ramp. Yet, I will be clear that we still do have the power to stop this. Public support for Trump is collapsing. If the American people stay loud, more Republicans in this body will have to decide whether they stand with their constituents or with the war. People in red States and blue States want and need the same things: good jobs, safe neighborhoods, a stable economy, affordable healthcare and housing, and the ability to thrive in their communities. They do not want war, especially not a war being led by Pete Hegseth from day one, who has been failing to demonstrate that he can keep Americans safe. At least 13 soldiers have already died on his watch, and over 1,000 civilians have been killed. It is becoming increasingly clear that the U.S. military is responsible for bombing a school full of elementary school children, killing at least 168 people. The American people do not support this horror. To my Republican colleagues: Do the right thing. Stand up for our constituents. To the American people: Do not look away from the truth of what is happening. Refuse to normalize being silent and complicit. You must stay loud. ____________________