As Gas Prices Continue To Rise, Durbin Criticizes President Trump’s War Of Choice On Iran

As Gas Prices Continue To Rise, Durbin Criticizes President Trump's War Of Choice On Iran

Durbin: "President Trump found billions of dollars to wage his war against Iran, but cannot spare a penny to help Americans afford their groceries, mortgage, or health insurance."

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor today criticizing President Trump for entering a war on Iran with no clear strategy and despite the President campaigning on "no new wars" if he were elected.

Durbin said, "President Trump has tried to position himself as the 'Peace President,' but his actions tell a different story. In the last year alone, he has conducted military operations across three continents and threatened to militarily takeover several countries, including Greenland from our NATO ally Denmark. With Iran, he [has] spiked gas prices, American lives lost, and [he created] risk and uncertainty in a difficult region. All, I worry, without a clear strategy or end game."

"In the first six days of this war with Iran, the Administration and the White House announced six different reasons and rationales for the war. It's apparent when you look at the reports of the countless Americans stranded in the Middle East that this Administration did not prepare a proper evacuation plan," Durbin said.

Durbin also criticized President Trump for his harmful rhetoric regarding the war. Just last week when he was asked if we should be worried about retaliatory attacks on America, he responded "I guess."

"This is a chillingly callous statement when faced with the prospect of American casualties. And recent briefings from this Administration did little to address the same concerns I had when I was one of 23 Senators in October 2002 to vote against the war in Iraq. When I listened to the rationale from the Trump Administration for our invasion of Iran, it sounds like the echo of the argument made in Iraq… Simply, it is easier to get into a war than it is to get out, and the President is going to discover that," Durbin said.

Durbin then noted the cost of war. During the Iraq War, Durbin visited Walter Reed Hospital many times to see soldiers who had just returned from combat.

"I will never forget the rows of beds of young men and women with terrible injuries from roadside bombs and IEDs in the Iraq War. Many of these brave service members are still grappling with the wounds of war, whether from traumatic brain injuries or PTSD that they sustained in combat. That is the real cost of war-a war that this Administration cannot explain. The President said, 'When you go to war, some people will die,' [and] sadly he is telling us the truth," Durbin continued.

Since entering the war, gas prices have continued to rise, and Americans are feeling the brunt of the financial costs of war.

Durbin continued, "Americans are not asking for yet another foreign entanglement. They are asking for a president who puts the American people first in terms of real challenges-[such] as the cost of living… President Trump found billions of dollars to wage his war against Iran but cannot spare a penny to help Americans afford their groceries, mortgage, or health insurance. My constituents are already paying more on their gas and energy bills because of the President's chaos in the Middle East, and that will likely get worse."

Durbin concluded, "There is no love lost between me and the Iranian regime. For decades, it has been a menace to the region and its own people. It is a worthwhile objective to prevent them from sponsoring terrorism and building nuclear weapons. But impulsive military attacks carry tremendous risk, uncertainty, and costs that may confront us and the region for months and years to come."

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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