WASHINGTON,
D.C. – "The systematic campaign of brutality by Slobodan Milosevic has
forced the United States and NATO to take forceful action. As the
human tragedies mount – a growing number of refugees existing in desperate
conditions, families being ripped apart, torture, rape and murder – the
House considered important measures about how the United States should
proceed.
"I
joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting H.R. 1569
to assert the Constitutional authority of Congress. We made it clear
that the President cannot commit the United States military to a ground
war without the explicit consent of Congress. The House today made
it clear that the President must first receive the approval of Congress
should the nature of the mission require a shift in military operations.
At this time, the President and his military advisors have not signaled
a change in the current strategy of air strikes, but if and when they do,
I want the opportunity to vote on whether or not it is in fact necessary
to deploy ground troops to end the genocide.
"I
cast a vote in favor of Senate Concurrent Resolution 21 explicitly authorizing
the President to conduct military air operations and missile strikes in
Yugoslavia. By doing so, I put myself firmly on record in support
of the United States and our NATO allies in this moral struggle to rescue
the victims of ethnic cleansing and to put an end to such atrocities.
As an American who believes in freedom and a Jew who remembers the lessons
of the Holocaust, I could do no less.
"Even
as we engage in these air strikes, the United States must place the highest
priority on exploring and implementing all diplomatic options to end the
conflict and to redouble our commitment to humanitarian relief."
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