COLUMN: Success for the Free World

Article II of our Constitution grants the President of the United States the role of Commander in Chief of our military. While Congress holds the sole authority to declare war on another country, the Commander in Chief is obligated to defend the United States in cases of imminent threat or attack.

On January 3, President Trump ordered a strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani, the leader of one of the most dangerous and well-armed terrorist organizations in the world. Soleimani led his regime to kill at least 600 Americans and countless Iranian citizens, with intelligence reports that more attacks were being readied. In this case, it is clear the President exercised his constitutional powers to act in defense of our country – ordering the strike to kill Soleimani following an imminent threat to our embassy in Iraq.

Qasem Soleimani was an enemy of the United States, and President Trump's decision promoted peace through strength. This decision and swift action by our courageous service members demonstrates to the world that America will not stand for Iranian terrorist threats or actions like those of Soleimani and the Iranian regime.

House Democrats recently brought to the floor an amended version of the Merchant Marines of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act. The intention of this bill is to recognize – with Congress' highest honor – the Merchant Marines who served our country during the second World War, and I voted to support the original version of this bill, which passed the House unanimously in September 2019.

Unfortunately, House leadership used the amended version of this legislation as a vehicle to block the use of funding for military action in or against Iran, essentially tying the hands of the United States Armed Forces and our Commander in Chief, President Trump, to defend our homeland from any potential Iranian aggression.

Our Merchant Marines certainly deserve the recognition of a Congressional Gold Medal, but they do not deserve these political games. I voted against this bill because I believe we should not weaken our military's ability to protect and defend the United States from terrorism.

Blocking the use of funds not only prohibits our armed forces from responding to any attacks from the Iranian regime, but it signals a sign of weakness to our enemies overseas. Any vote that demonstrates to Iran or any other entity that we are not unified in our efforts to combat global terrorism and protect the men and women of our military is a mistake.

The United States is the greatest country in the world, and we must continue to establish our strength and leadership – not diminish the power of our military because some don't agree with our duly-elected President. The threat of the Iranian regime is not gone, but the elimination of Qasem Soleimani is a success for the free world.