Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) issued the following statements Friday after President Donald Trump announced the United Stateslaunched strikes against Syrian targets.
Leahy: "The use of chemical weapons is a crime against humanity that calls for an appropriate response. But it is Congress' responsibility to declare war. Threatening the use of military force by tweet, and firing off missiles without a coherent policy or clear legal authority, raises obvious dangers and constitutional concerns and risks drawing us into a wider war. The President needs to be crystal clear with the American people and with the Congress about what our goals are in Syria and how he intends to achieve them."
Sanders: "It is Congress, not the president, which has the constitutional responsibility for making war. The international community must uphold the prohibition against the use of chemical weapons, but it is unclear how President Trump's illegal and unauthorized strikes on Syria tonight will achieve that goal. After 17 years of war in Afghanistan and 15 years of war in Iraq, we need a political strategy to bring peace and stability to the region, not more U.S. military intervention."
Welch: “Bashar al-Assad's repeated use of chemical weapons on his people is an egregious violation of international law. Last evening's missile strike was an appropriate response to this atrocity. However, it occurred in a context where the United States has no clear policy in Syria or the region and at a time when there is real potential for escalation into a conflict with Russia and Iran. The Constitution requires the President to seek authority from Congress before engaging in military activities. President Trump must do so immediately.”