Carleigh’s Statement on Trump’s Attack on Iran
Earlier today, President Trump ordered another strike on Iran in conjunction with Israel. Trump has characterized the attacks as “major combat operations” and referred to the possibility of American “casualties that often happens in war.” This situation could escalate quickly into a vast conflict with deadly consequences for our soldiers and civilians throughout the region. Congress must act immediately to constrain Trump and hold him accountable for these dangerous and unconstitutional strikes.
I have spent my career studying the consequences of US military action. I teach about international conflict and diplomacy. I have lived among people scarred by the legacy of US nuclear testing. I know the devastation our military can cause when it is led recklessly and without regard to the cost of war.
Constraining the President from leading our country into needless and costly wars is one of the most important jobs of Congress.
In 2002, Congress made a catastrophic mistake in authorizing George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. We are still living with the consequences of this historic blunder. Congress failed in 2002. It must not fail in 2026.
As dire as the situation was in 2002, the stakes are much higher today with the rise of artificial intelligence, the erosion of international diplomacy, and the collapse of the last treaties constraining the development and deployment of nuclear weapons.
Congress must pass legislation immediately to prevent Trump from taking further military action against Iran, but that is just the beginning of the work that must be accomplished with all deliberate speed. Congress must also pass legislation limiting national security agencies from using AI technology to launch lethal strikes, and prohibit the Pentagon from any use of AI in its nuclear weapons program.
We are only two months into the new year, and Trump has already invaded or attacked two countries. As Americans, we must treat this moment with the gravity and urgency it demands.
The greatest responsibility of our federal government is to protect the welfare of the people who call this country home. As a member of Congress, I’ll fight to make sure that no president — Democrat or Republican — can drag the United States into needless wars based on lies or their own capricious arrogance, and I will never relent in my commitment to securing our country and the world from the threats posed by the weaponization of emerging technologies and the continued risk of nuclear war.
