SYRIAN REFUGEES; Congressional Record Vol. 161, No. 170

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SYRIAN REFUGEES

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New

York (Mr. Rangel) for 5 minutes.

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Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with the millions of

Americans that feel heart-based sympathy for the loss of our friends in

Europe and France, particularly Paris, and, of course, to give sympathy

to those people that are absolutely hysterical on this issue as relates

to refugees, even though there is no evidence at all that it was

refugees that were responsible for the attacks.

These types of unprovoked attacks do cause fear and, many times,

irresponsible behavior on behalf of people, as they attempt to instill

fear in all people to such an extent that it shatters the principles

which this country was built on.

{time} 1030

Nevertheless, there is enough for us to be concerned about. There is

enough for us to be fearful about, and there has to be concern as to

what are we going to do about it.

Those that read in the media and listen to it--and even Members of

Congress--will find that we have people that are now saying that we

can't win this war against ISIS unless we have more of our military on

the ground fighting against the Assad government.

We talk about sending troops overseas to put their lives in harm's

way as though it is just another foreign policy decision that Members

of Congress can make without any regard at all to the constitutional

responsibility we have to ourselves and to be an example for the world.

Whenever this great Nation is threatened, whenever our national

security is threatened, the President should be coming to this House of

Representatives and the Senate and sharing with us what are the threats

to our national security. And when it becomes abundantly clear that we

have to call upon our military in any way, we should have a declaration

of war for the reasons that the President has given to us.

Our responsibility to our constituents is to share as much

information as we can to tell them that war means sacrifice, loss of

life.

Yet, today, we haven't had a declaration of war since Franklin

Roosevelt. Tens of thousands of Americans have died.

In this recent crisis, less than 1 percent of eligible Americans have

actually put themselves in harm's way because of executive mandate and

the allowance of the Congress to allow this to happen. And we have

lost, just in Afghanistan and Iraq, 7,000 American lives that some of

us have to go to the funerals and explain the best that we can that,

even though we are not at war, there would be American lives lost in

foreign countries.

I submit to you that if we believe that our national security is

threatened, we should have a declaration of war, we should have a

draft, and we should have a way to pay for these wars, so that we would

know that it is not easy sending your loved ones abroad and not even

know the reasons that they are there.

It would seem to me that, as everyone heard, the President of France

says they are at war against ISIS, that if we are at war against ISIS,

whatever country they are representing, it should be brought to the

American people. It should be brought to the Congress, and the

President should ask us to declare war.

But it is just totally not fair for people in the House of

Representatives to come here and to say that Americans should be sent

overseas to fight an unknown enemy, to put their lives in jeopardy and,

perhaps, their families in jeopardy, without being able to say that

they are fighting a war to preserve democracy in this country.

It just seems to me that whether you call them no feet on the ground,

but boots on the ground, that if someone's coming back here with a

flag-draped coffin, that we should be able to say they fought for

America, they died for America, and that we are fighting for peace and

to end a war that has yet to be declared.

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