YouSaid · the spoken record
Tim Kaine
We hold 58 passages that may be Tim Kaine’s. We do not publish them until we can confirm who spoke. See the correction.
On the record 2016–2026
congress · podcast
Every line below is reproduced as it was said and credited to the record it came from, and links to that record wherever it can be linked. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections
“So it is my hope that we will get a robust vote on the need for the State Department to fully lay out the human rights record and particularly what will be done to stop violence against all on the West Bank but especially what will be done to stop violence against Americans on the West Bank. For that reason, I am very happy to join my colleague Senator Van Hollen and others, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on the resolution when it comes up later. I yield the floor.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Despite raising this issue privately in the way that you would maybe first want a dialogue with a friend--raising the issue and seeking assistance--and raising it multiple times, I have come to the conclusion that I am not being listened to. I have come to the conclusion that even though this is a friendship that matters and even though the United States is Israel's most important security partner, they are completely ignoring us when we raise important human rights issues such as this one. So when a friend is speaking to you as a friend and urging you to do better--that is what friends do for one another--and the friend is being ignored, you end up making resolutions like the one we will vote on later a necessity.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Many of us in both parties and administrations of both parties have raised this issue of violence against Palestinians on the West Bank over and over and over again with those in the Israeli Government that we have interacted with. I know I have, in my visits to Israel over the years as mayor and Governor and Senator, in sessions we have had with Israeli leaders on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and in discussions we have had with Knesset members and others--I have specifically raised in person and by letter and now in joining in this resolution this issue of violence against people living on the West Bank and what needs to be done about it. I will be blunt.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Anything dealing with United States-Israel relations or the Middle East, frankly, is controversial because it is such a challenging area. And let's be clear, Israel is a friend. Israel is an ally. That friendship is between the American people and the Israeli people. It is between the American Nation and the State of Israel. That friendship is a friendship that is really important regardless of which leaders are in place. This is a relationship that goes back to the United States' decision under President Truman to immediately recognize the nation of Israel once the U.N. decided in 1947 that there would be an Israel for the Jewish people and a Palestine for Palestinian people. President Truman immediately recognized the nation of Israel, and that is one of the reasons why Truman is one of my favorite Presidents.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Obviously, that should raise serious, serious concerns, but when the violence is also perpetrated against Americans who are there on the West Bank to study, there on the West Bank to visit their families, there on the West Bank to be human rights observers or journalists--when the violence is committed against Americans, we need to take specific steps to make sure we understand that there will be accountability. That is what this resolution would do. It would require the Department of State, within a set period of time, to issue a human rights report that specifically addresses the questions that are listed in the resolution and particularly those questions that bear upon violence committed against Americans and what Israel can or will do about it.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“For example, I have attended briefings where U.S. military officials posted in Israel have described instances of violence on the West Bank committed by Israelis and in some instances even Israeli security forces or Israeli IDF reservists. So the violence is not just private- on-private violence, but some of it is being facilitated and even encouraged or participated in by members of the Israeli Government, and that is reporting from the U.S. military. Recently, President Trump's Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, whom I knew as Governor Huckabee because we served as Governors together 20 years ago, has similarly complained about violence against folks on the West Bank perpetrated by Israelis--in this case, Israeli settlers--and the lack of any accountability for that violence.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“So this is the second such resolution I have helped bring to the floor, and I have about two dozen others that I have filed and that are pending--all the nations into which the President is sending folks pursuant to these third-country deportations. I believe it would be important for Congress to get the information about the transfers, about the cost, about the agreements, and about the human rights records. So this is part of a larger strategy that was put into statute to enable Congress to test the human rights record of nations that are receiving U.S. aid. In this instance, this resolution, which was initially cosponsored by Senators Van Hollen, Sanders, and I but now has a number of cosponsors, is specifically to seek a State Department report on the Israel human rights record about the treatment of folks on the West Bank.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“This is not the first such resolution I have brought to the floor. I brought one to the floor 6 or 8 months ago to seek a human rights report on El Salvador because El Salvador was receiving all these deported individuals from America--not Salvadorans--and imprisoning them in a notorious prison. In that case, I sought information about the conditions of imprisonment. What was the deal between the United States and El Salvador? What is the human rights record of that prison? Can someone in the prison from the United States demonstrate that they are the wrong person, that they picked up the wrong person?”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Like some other resolutions that I brought to the floor in the last year, it is a privileged resolution, and the ``privilege'' means that a single Senator can file it seeking a human rights report on any nation. The resolution cannot be locked up in committee. Within a certain number of days, it ripens, and it is guaranteed a floor vote with a simple- majority passage threshold. The theme that seems to unify these privileged resolutions is it is an effort of a Senator--even a single Senator--to shine a spotlight on and demand accountability from the Executive. Whether that is on the declaration of an emergency or the transfer of arms or the initiation of war or, in this case, the provision of U.S. aid, a Senator has the right to force a vote on the Senate to explore in this case the human rights record of any nation receiving U.S. aid.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to speak on the human rights reporting resolution that will be before the body within about 90 minutes. I am a cosponsor of the bill. Because this resolution is a little bit unusual, I thought I would describe sort of the procedural context and the reason for the statute and then describe why I strongly support a resolution to direct the Department of State to give us a human rights report about Israeli activities on the West Bank, violence against folks on the West Bank and in particular violence against Americans on the West Bank, for which there has been as of yet little or no accountability. This is a provision that is called a 502B resolution.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Oscar Baez, a legislative fellow in my office, be given floor privileges for the duration of his fellowship.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“The program has provided critical training and outreach to hundreds of thousands of emergency responders across the United States and enhanced their ability to respond safely and effectively to hazardous materials incidents. It has also delivered a wide range of training initiatives, including classroom instruction, hands-on exercises, virtual learning, and full-scale drills that reflect real-world response challenges. TRANSCAER has also continued to evolve to address emerging risks associated with hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries and alternative fuels, while complementing Federal efforts to enhance our country's emergency response capabilities.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I would like to recognize the 40th anniversary of the Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response, TRANSCAER, program and its contributions to hazardous materials transportation safety and emergency preparedness. Since its establishment in 1986, TRANSCAER has become a trusted public-private partnership bringing together industry, emergency responders, government agencies, and community stakeholders to advance safety and preparedness nationwide.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“For these reasons, I ask the U.S. Senate to join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Master Chief Koch for her exemplary dedication to our Nation as she retires from the U.S. Navy. Throughout her 23 years of service, both in uniform and as the mother of two outstanding young adults Audrey and Austin Pyle, Master Chief Koch has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the defense of our Nation and the future of our country. Her profound patriotism, stellar leadership, and tireless work ethic leave an enduring legacy that has strengthened our national defense. ____________________”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Her assignments included serving as a language analyst and training branch chief at Naval Security Group Activity, Fort Gordon, GA, Air Operations Leading Chief Petty Officer for Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Georgia Air Operations Division, Arabic Apprentice Cryptologic Language Program Instructor at Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) Detachment Fort Gordon, and CTI & Intel Program Manager for the Navy Senior Language Authority at OPNAV N1, Chief of Naval Personnel. As my fellow and during her tenure in Navy OLA, Master Chief Koch had a profound impact, spearheading the coordination of a Supreme Court amicus brief that protected vital veterans' benefits legislation and cementing an enduring legacy by overhauling the Navy's legislative fellows program and ensuring expanded senior enlisted representation.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I rise today to ask the Senate to join me in recognizing MCPO Kristina Lynne Koch for her 23 years of outstanding Navy Active-Duty service, including her time as my defense fellow in 2023 and 2024, and her subsequent assignment to the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs. Prior to her exposure to the legislative branch, she served in the Navy's Office of Women's Policy, where she oversaw the critical parenthood and pregnancy portfolio.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“earlier this week and said it was his decision as to whether to do a peace deal or whether to annihilate the nation of Iran. We have never had a President who talks like this, and we never should again. But it is not his decision; it is our decision. The time to make a decision to end this war is upon us. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the concurrent resolution. I yield the floor.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Third, we have passed a concurrent resolution--Congress, both Houses, under a Republican majority--declaring the war illegal. The President has ignored that. We directed him: Withdraw troops or get an authorization. He has done neither, and it is not likely he will do either. But the American public is speaking loud and clear and saying: You in the Senate--you can do something about it. And that is what this resolution is about. The House, for the second time, has passed a concurrent resolution provided under the War Powers Act. We will now vote, and it is my hope we will vote with them to declare, yet again, that this is an illegal war and that the President should stop it. In closing, I will just say this: The President appeared at the U.N.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“The good news is that we can do something about it. We don't have to stand back and just say: Wow, the President has decided, for silly reasons, to start an illegal war, and I guess we just have to go along. And that is what this vote is about. We have taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution. The Constitution says the President cannot declare war, only Congress can. There has been no congressional declaration of war. The President is violating the Constitution with this war. There is a statute that allows the President to defend the country for 60 days without Congress, but it requires that that military action expire at the end of 60 days. We are well past 60 days. The President is not only not following the Constitution, he is not following the War Powers Act.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, President Trump's war against Iran has been deeply unpopular--from the very first day--in Virginia and among Americans, and it is growing more and more unpopular with each passing day. It is unpopular because Americans don't want to see 18 troops lose their lives. They don't want to see the Pentagon undercounting troop deaths. It is unpopular because the American people don't want to see hundreds of combat casualties for no legitimate purpose and a concern that the Pentagon is undercounting combat casualties. It is unpopular because Americans--and Virginians, in particular-- don't want to see extended deployments of carrier strike groups and their loved ones away from home. A report came out yesterday that there were eight attempted suicides in the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group because of the extended deployment.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“We put together a financing package that made use of Federal and State historic tax credits to renovate Maggie Walker High School and satisfied the prior use rule by consolidating the magnet program from Thomas Jefferson into a new Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies. Today, over 20 years later, this is one of America's highest performing public high schools. Without the Federal historic tax credit, this would have been too expensive to make happen. This bill will make it easier to do similar projects around the country. More modern school buildings will bolster the quality of public education, and carrying out these projects will generate private sector infrastructure investment and jobs.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“While the credit can often be used for turning an aging school building into a commercial building, such as an office or retail location, it is difficult to use the credit to rehabilitate a school while continuing to use it as a school postrenovations. The intent of this bill is to make it easier for schools to benefit from this funding while continuing to serve as a school. As a Richmond city council member and later mayor, I faced challenges familiar to many municipalities--overcrowded schools, aging buildings, and limited dollars in the budget. But in one particular case, I and a group of local stakeholders identified a creative solution. On one hand, we had an overcrowded Thomas Jefferson High School with in-zone and magnet students. On the other hand, we had a closed Maggie Walker High School that needed renovations.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, today I want to discuss legislation I am introducing, the School Infrastructure Modernization Act, with my colleague Senator Warner. The Federal tax credit for historic preservation is a critical source of funding for renovating historic and aging buildings across the country.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“But in one particular case, I and a group of local stakeholders identified a creative solution. On one hand, we had an overcrowded Thomas Jefferson High School with in-zone and magnet students. On the other hand, we had a closed Maggie Walker High School that needed renovations. We put together a financing package that made use of Federal and State historic tax credits to renovate Maggie Walker High School and satisfied the prior use rule by consolidating the magnet program from Thomas Jefferson into a new Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies. Today, over 20 years later, this is one of America's highest performing public high schools. Without the Federal historic tax credit, this would have been too expensive to make happen. This bill will make it easier to do similar projects around the country.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, today I want to discuss legislation I am introducing, the School Infrastructure Modernization Act, with my colleague Senator Warner. The Federal tax credit for historic preservation is a critical source of funding for renovating historic and aging buildings across the country. While the credit can often be used for turning an aging school building into a commercial building, such as an office or retail location, it is difficult to use the credit to rehabilitate a school while continuing to use it as a school postrenovations. The intent of this bill is to make it easier for schools to benefit from this funding while continuing to serve as a school. As a Richmond city council member and later mayor, I faced challenges familiar to many municipalities--overcrowded schools, aging buildings, and limited dollars in the budget.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“As she concludes more than three decades of honorable service, I congratulate her on an exceptional naval career and wish her and her family fair winds and following seas in retirement. ____________________”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I rise today to congratulate Rear Admiral Jennifer S. Courture on her retirement from the U.S. Navy and to honor her for more than 31 years of distinguished service to our Nation. Throughout her extraordinary career, Rear Admiral Couture has exemplified the highest ideals of leadership, professionalism, and public service.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“How is this effective to pay billions of dollars--billions of dollars to people--but force them to stay home and not let them serve their fellow Americans answering their tax questions, inspecting for food safety, being part of the national security apparatus? It is just an overall effort to attack Federal employees, even if you are going to waste money to do it. Our Federal employees want to serve their fellow Americans. We should allow them to do it free of intimidation or reprisal, and that is why I am so strong to stand with my colleague from Virginia to support the Protect America's Workforce Act.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“My colleagues and I know, tax season is a season where a lot of people are calling Agencies to try to get help. We had done a good job in reducing waiting times on the phone so that people could actually get their questions answered. They ballooned again this year because of all these layoffs. Of all the things that demonstrate the attack on public service that this stripping of collective bargaining is a piece of, the one that I think that just speaks most obviously was the one that came out about a week ago, that the administration put on administrative leave thousands of Federal employees and paid them anyway, but locked them out of their jobs so that they could not serve their fellow Americans.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, it is good to be together with my colleagues, and I needn't repeat, but what I will say is I view this effort by President Trump and the administration to go after collective bargaining rights as a larger attack on the idea of public service because we have seen Federal employees laid off in record numbers through the DOGE actions at the beginning of the administration, through buyouts that were somewhat involuntary. One of the things the administration did early was they sort of indiscriminately laid off probationary employees because those employees don't have the ability to easily challenge their layoffs.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“He and Toni, a Hampton native whose father Pat Minetti devoted his own career to public service as a Hampton police officer before retiring as the city's chief of police, were married at Fort Monroe in 1979. During Lieutenant Colonel Haaland's Army service, the family returned to Hampton, while he served at the Army Training and Doctrine Command. Since his assignment to Headquarters, Department of the Army in 1993, Mark and Toni have made Fairfax County their home for more than three decades. Both of their children were born in Virginia, attended Virginia public schools, and graduated from Virginia universities. After retiring from Active Duty, Lieutenant Colonel Haaland continued to dedicate his career to strengthening our national security.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“He exemplifies a lifetime of commitment and service to our Nation, his community, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and his family. As the son of an Army officer and Vietnam war veteran, Lieutenant Colonel Haaland knew from a young age that his life's path would be one of service. After his family moved to Hampton, VA, in 1972, when his father was assigned to the Army Training and Doctrine Command, Mark attended Kecoughtan High School, where he met his future wife Toni Minetti. Following his graduation in 1975, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating with the Class of 1979 before beginning a 20-year Army career as an armor officer serving in operational units and on the Army staff at the Pentagon. Virginia has remained central to Lieutenant Colonel Haaland's life and service.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize an exemplary Virginian and outstanding citizen, LTC Mark L. Haaland, U.S. Army, Retired. Lieutenant Colonel Haaland is retiring from his position as director of government affairs for the Association of the United States Army, AUSA, where he has been a leading advocate and voice for the total Army--Regular Army, Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, Army civilians, Army families, and veterans--for nearly 8 years.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“President Trump and his self-titled ``Secretary of War'' want to switch us back so that we, instead, brag about the fact that we are focused and interested in war. It is a pending matter that is contained within the National Defense Authorization Act that will be debated on the floor here in the next few months. The Pentagon has even changed its email address to war.gov. This is juvenile and embarrassing, and it would be comical if it weren't so tragic. Is this who the United States of America has become now--war.gov? Is that how we want to be known in our history? Is that how we want to be known by allies and adversaries around the world--as a nation that prefers war to diplomacy?”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“We changed, in 1947, the Secretary of War to the Secretary of Defense, and the Pentagon is the Defense Department, not the War Department. And guess what. It was a great thing the United States did. When nations all around the world saw us do it, they did it too-- Britain and France, also World War II enemies like Germany and Japan, and current adversaries like Russia and China. All other nations followed the diplomatic lead of the United States and said: The mission of military should not be war. We don't prefer war. The mission should be vigorous defense. Brazil was actually the last nation to make the switch. They did it about three decades ago. So now, in the world, the use of war to describe the mission or the Cabinet or the Secretary is virtually unheard of, except the United States wants to bring it back.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“You know, most nations actually had a Department of War during much of their history, and the United States did too. America had a Secretary of War and a War Cabinet for many, many years during the history of this Nation. But after World War II, when President Harry Truman, who had seen the bloodshed of war as a military officer in World War I and had to make consequential decisions as the Commander in Chief to end World War II, stood back and said: Do you know what? The United States is a great nation. We shouldn't prefer war; we should prefer defense. Let's defend our Nation, and let's tell the world we will do anything necessary to defend our Nation, but let's make it clear to the rest of the world that the mission of our military is not war; it is defense.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“We have to stand up for our military families. We have to stand up for citizens who want a government focused on making lives better, not waging warfare away across the world. And we have to stand up for America the peacemaker, not America the war wager. It is telling that at the very moment we are in the middle of these three illegal and undeclared wars that are causing a huge cost to our troops and innocent civilians, the President and the Pentagon are choosing this moment to try to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. Of course, they are. They want performative war in the worst possible way. They care more about the optics and the trolling Twitter with flashy videos than they do about doing the hard work necessary to keep Americans safe and defend this country.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“The President has not sought a vote on a war authorization because he knows that such a vote would lose in both Houses in Congress in a dramatic fashion. Instead, he has taken the warmongering all on his own shoulders. President Trump can ignore the law, and he can break the law, but he can't change the law. If the President won't abide by the Constitution, by the War Powers Act, or the express will of two Republican-majority Houses of Congress, we have one more power. Only Congress can appropriate funds for war or defense operations. As the President and his Cabinet are here seeking even more funds to carry out his illegal wars and fighting against any guardrails against his warmongering, Congress has to stand up against him. We have to stand up against illegal wars. We have to stand up for our troops.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“But even if one were to assume that one of those conditions had been met, the War Powers Act requires that any military activity started by the President without Congress has to hit a hard stop at 60 days unless Congress affirmatively votes to continue it. We are well past the 60- day point--we are now past the 5-month point--with no congressional authorization. Yet the President continues to send more troops to the region and threaten more attacks as the American public watches more flag-draped caskets come home. Now both Houses of Congress, under Republican majorities, have passed legislation requiring the President to remove U.S. troops from hostilities against Iran unless Congress passes a war authorization. The President has not removed troops from hostilities. He is actually sending more into harm's way.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“First, it is unconstitutional because the President launched it without having the congressional approval required by article I of the Constitution. Second, the war violates the War Powers Act of 1973. This act allows a President to initiate military action in very specific circumstances: if there is a declaration of war by Congress, which there hasn't been; if there is an authorization for use of military force passed by Congress, which there hasn't been; or in the case of a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States. None of those conditions were met prior to the President's launching of this war.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“The Global War on Terror cost the United States more than 14,000 lives, led to more than 65,000 American casualties, and skyrocketed costs into the trillions of taxpayer dollars that should have been spent on education and infrastructure and healthcare investments at home. Americans want a President, but more than that, Americans want a government that will spend our dollars here to make energy, healthcare, childcare, and other necessities like groceries more affordable. The President has already punished us enough with his chaotic tariff taxes and his doubling down on illegal wars just to make things so much harder for everyday people. So what can we do? What can we do? Knowing that the President is likely to plow forward on this failed and destructive policy, Congress has to finally stand up. The Iran war is triply illegal.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“The endless rounds of start-stop and the frequent Presidential proclamations of victory or cease-fire, then to be interrupted by new rounds of the back-and-forth of attacks in the region, have produced a profound uncertainty that is endangering economic prospects in all corners of the Earth. Now these three foolish and illegal wars--Southern Spear, Absolute Resolve, Epic Fury--are largely rejected by the American public. Our voters want us to make their lives better, not waste their money in pointless military engagements far from home, especially with regard to Trump's war with Iran. Haven't we learned something from 20-plus years of war in the Middle East?”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Finally, America has spilled much blood and treasure during President Trump's foolish war against Iran. On February 27, we were not at war, and the Strait of Hormuz was open; and the price of gas and other key commodities were as normal as things can be in 2026. But President Trump--without a clear plan, a coherent rationale, the participation of allies, the approval of Congress, or the support of the American public--launched Operation Epic Fury. The President ignored his own promise to avoid more war in the Middle East. He fulfilled a sad prophecy many of us made during his first term, when he tore up a diplomatic deal that was working to control Iran's nuclear program. Those who make diplomacy impossible make war inevitable. Now, 5 months later, the folly of this illegal war has been made plain to all. Eighteen U.S.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Maintaining Maduro's cronies in place and allowing them to continue the oppression of the Venezuelan people, primarily to benefit well-connected energy companies, is not a legitimate use of American military power. Rodriguez and the remnants of the Maduro regime are moving aggressively to consolidate their hold on power that the overwhelming majority of Venezuelans want to dislodge. Like despots around the world, they have learned how to humor the administration in the short run and buy its affection, and then, hopefully, wait until we get distracted and move our attention elsewhere. And it is Venezuelans who are suffering, especially in the aftermath of the earthquake, as they watch the government of the Maduro Vice President, Rodriguez, not be able to effectively provide services to those who are in need of disaster relief.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“The world follows the example of this country, and if invading another nation's sovereign territory to kidnap its President and topple its government is acceptable for the United States, we lose our standing to criticize dictators around the world who might decide to do the same thing--in fact, who are currently doing the same thing. The actual military invasion of Venezuela was at least brief, and I think all recognize that the U.S. military performed in a very exemplary fashion in carrying out the mission they were ordered to perform. But its aftermath has been highly problematic. The United States is now using the American military to control the Venezuelan economy and government, and thus contributing to the oppression and subjugation of the Venezuelan people.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Public reporting conclusively shows that some of those murdered have been humble fishermen, whose families saw them leave for an honest day's work and then never come home. President Trump's second illegal war is Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. military invasion of Venezuela to topple the regime of dictator Nicolas Maduro. I have long in this body, as the lead Democrat on the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, supported all kinds of policies to sanction and punish and isolate the dictatorial Maduro regime. But using the U.S. military to invade a sovereign nation without congressional approval, and without any explanation or strategy for what might come next, is another matter entirely.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“military to strike boats and kill those aboard with no evidence that the boats contain narcotics or arms? How could this be deemed self- defense, which is the requirement for the President to use lethal force without a congressional authorization? I ask these questions as a proud member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I ask these questions as the proud father of a U.S. marine. How could it be legally justifiable for the U.S. military to attack boats without evidence of narcotics and without evidence that those on board to be killed are armed? Many of those killed in Operation Southern Spear--unarmed individuals not transporting narcotics--are not combat casualties. They are murder victims.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“So I am not going to describe the contents of either, but I was immediately struck by what was missing from the targeting criteria. It is hard to believe this, but the targeting criteria used by the U.S. military to strike boats and kill people on open waters contain no requirement that there be any evidence that there are narcotics on board--no requirement that there be any evidence that there are narcotics on board--nor is there any requirement that the sailors on any of these boats be armed. Now, these criteria could have been included by the Pentagon in the targeting criteria that they chose, but they intentionally chose not to include the presence of narcotics or the presence of arms. Why not restrict U.S. military attacks on boats to those we know to be carrying narcotics? How could it be legally justifiable for the U.S.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“The United States killed them anyway and then selectively edited the video so that the American public would only see the flashy initial boat explosion but not see the cowardly and cold-blooded murder of desperate shipwrecked people that took place later. And, you know, that is not even the most shocking thing about Southern Spear. The most shocking thing is that the administration has been lying to the American public about whether the campaign is even against narcotrafficking. While I am not allowed to discuss the contents of the legal opinion, and I am not allowed to discuss the EXORD's targeting criteria, I can say this: In reviewing the targeting criteria and trying to match it up with the legal opinion, I was immediately struck by what was missing.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Why the secrecy? It is obvious why the administration wants all this cloaked in secrecy. The President and the Pentagon don't want the American public to see what is being done in our name and with our tax dollars. They are trying to hide from the public--and even from this body--the flimsiness of their legal case and the exorbitant cost and ineffectiveness of the operation. For example, the Pentagon is glad to show edited videos of an exploding boat to pat itself on the back about its lethality toward narcotraffickers. They proudly did so on social media, and all over mainstream media, following the first fatal strike of a boat last September--September 2.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗