Bernie Sanders, campaigning in Iowa, says 'if Congress wants to go to war, let Congress have the guts to vote for war'

DUBUQUE, Ia. — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders opened a campaign event Saturday calling for immediate Congressional action to stop President Donald Trump from launching the U.S. into a war with Iran.

His comments came a day after he called the “assassination” of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani “a dangerous escalation” and a step toward “another disastrous war in the Middle East.”

Trump authorized a drone strike Thursday night on a convoy that included Soleimani as it left a Baghdad airport. Soleimani headed Iran’s elite Quds Force. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Soleimani was planning attacks on American diplomats and military service members in Iraq and the surrounding region. The government has not detailed those plans.

In its statement Thursday night, the Defense Department noted "General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more."

Sanders said a first course of action when the Senate returns from its current recess next week should be to restrain Trump from “plunging our nation into yet another endless war.” He and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are introducing legislation to restrict federal money from being used to fund offensive military action against or in Iran.

"Our founding fathers gave the responsibility over war not to the president, but to Congress," Sanders said. "That is very clear in the Constitution. And in my view, Congress must, must act in the face of a president who has shown time and time again that he cannot be relied upon to tell us the truth or to make well thought out decisions."

Sanders said Saturday Congress needs to reassert its responsibility to authorize war, and called for the body to take that authority back. Sanders last year introduced a bipartisan resolution invoking the War Powers Act to end U.S. involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen. Trump vetoed it.

“If Congress wants to vote to go war — and I will vote against that — but if Congress wants to go to war, let Congress have the guts to vote for war,” Sanders said Saturday. “Do not let this president take unilateral action.”

Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.