After a week in which Donald Trump launched airstrikes on an empty airfield in Syria, dropped a massive bomb in Afghanistan, and is said to be planning a preemptive strike on North Korea, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is saying enough is enough.
In a statement released Thursday, Pelosi said Congress must immediately be called back into session to receive briefings and debate Trump’s increasing use of force.
The full statement:
Every day, the President gives Congress reason to return and debate the use of force. The President’s escalation in Syria and his saber-rattling on North Korea demand serious and immediate Congressional scrutiny.
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Speaker Ryan must call Congress back into session for classified briefings and debate. Congress must do its duty and honor our responsibility to the Constitution.
In normal circumstances with a normal president in the White House, Congressional oversight on matters of war and peace is critical. With Trump in charge of America’s nuclear arsenal – like a toddler playing with a loaded firearm – this becomes even more necessary.
For the safety and security of the United States and the rest of the world, House Speaker Paul Ryan should call Congress back and work to ensure that Donald Trump’s quick and reckless military escalations face some level of oversight from the legislative branch.
This president can’t be trusted to conduct himself like an adult in his Twitter posts, much less be responsible for America’s nuclear arsenal.
As Hillary Clinton said frequently during the 2016 presidential campaign, “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.”
Now he has the nuclear weapons, and he still can’t be trusted.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
