A Gross Dereliction of Duty
September 20, 2014
A Gross Dereliction of Duty
On Thursday, I voted against the Continuing Resolution that is a product of a dysfunctional law-making process. This resolution tied the auhtorization for military intervention in Syria to a bill to temporarily fund the entire government. One of the most important and solemn duties we have as members of Congress is to authorize the use of military force and ask the brave men and women in our armed services to put their lives in harm’s way.It is a gross dereliction of that duty – and an insult to those men and women – to tack on a military authorization to a must-pass spending bill, just so members of Congress can hurry back home.
If the United States is going to escalate our involvement in a brutal conflict overseas, if we are going to send American troops to arm and train Syrian rebels for their fight against ISIS, we need to debate that decision on its own merits, not as a condition of funding the government. This is the only way for this issue to receive the careful attention and robust debate that it deserves.
Prior to the vote, I delivered a speech on the Senate Floor to recommend that we debate the Syria and ISIS provisions separately from the government funding provisions of the Continuing Resolution. Unfortunately, my request was denied.
You can watch or read the full speech here
On Wednesday, I also delivered a speech about the many problems that result from using continuing resolutions to fund the government. I also recommend that you read this speech when you can, so you can understand why I voted against this proposal as your representative, and why I chose instead to fight for a better way:
You can watch my speech on how the CR prevents Congress from doing its job here
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Subject:
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A Gross
Dereliction of Duty
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Date:
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9/20/2014
9:43:06 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
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