Congressman Steven Horsford Statement on Iran Conflict

Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, January 8, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) released the following statement on the ongoing situation in Iran and Iraq:

"It is my solemn duty as a Member of Congress to protect and defend my constituents, including the nearly 5,000 service members and their families that I represent in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District. In order to uphold that duty, I call for the repeal of the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The developing situation in Iran makes it more important now than ever for Congress to repeal this outdated resolution, which this administration has continued to use as a blanket authority to engage our country in conflicts of war." Congressman Horsford said.

"Allowing this administration continued access to the powers of the AUMF puts our brave men and women in uniform at great risk. Any military engagement must only be pursued with Congressional oversight, debate, and approval. The President cannot act unilaterally in engaging our country and our military service members in yet another endless war. Together, we must work to de-escalate these hostilities to protect American lives."

Today, Congressman Horsford cosponsored Congresswoman Barbara Lee's H.R. 2456, legislation to repeal the 2002 AUMF. Earlier this year, Congressman Horsford supported Congresswoman Lee's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2020 to repeal the 2002 AUMF. The bipartisan amendment passed the House of Representatives with 242 votes. However, it was not included in the final NDAA compromise between the House and Senate.

Congressman Horsford also voted for a bipartisan amendment to the NDAA for the Fiscal Year 2020 to prohibit funds from being used for military operations against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress. This bipartisan amendment passed the House of Representatives with 251 votes. Similarly, it was not included in the final compromise.