[Page H1229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





         PREVENT PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM INVADING OTHER COUNTRIES

  (Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island was recognized to address the House 
for 5 minutes.)
  Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the No Invading 
Allies Act, a bill to prevent President Trump from invading Canada, 
Greenland, or Panama without a vote of Congress.
  It is crazy that we even have to have this conversation. These 
places, these nations, are our allies. They pose no threat to the 
United States. After thousands of brave American soldiers fought in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, many losing their lives, their limbs, and their 
loved ones, the last thing the American people want is to send our 
troops to any new wars, especially against countries that pose no 
threat to our own.
  Now President Trump will not stop talking about taking over Canada, 
Greenland, and Panama. He is obsessed.
  Listen to me when I tell you that he is not joking. When he says he 
wants to take over Canada, Greenland, and Panama, he means it. He even 
said that we will ``[expand] our territory'' in his inaugural speech. 
When was the last time you heard a President say something like that?
  The American people do not want to take over other countries. Nobody 
voted in the election to take over Canada or Greenland. The President 
never talked about that during his campaign.
  No one was thinking about taking over Canada when they went to vote 
last November. No. The American people want lower costs, safe streets, 
and peace. The last thing Americans want is unnecessary war. We cannot 
trust Donald Trump to keep us out of one.
  That is why I am introducing a new bill, the No Invading Allies Act, 
to prevent the President from sending the Armed Forces to invade 
Canada, Panama, or Greenland without a vote of Congress.
  Our country's Founders feared the possibility of a President engaging 
in unnecessary wars. In Article I of the Constitution, the Founders 
gave Congress, not the President, the power to declare war. Congress 
later passed the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which allows Presidents 
to engage in military action for up to 60 days without a vote of 
Congress, but Donald Trump's reckless threats to take over peaceful 
nations means that he cannot be trusted with this unchecked power.
  Congress must reassert our role under the Constitution by passing 
this bill. With this bill, we send a message to our allies and 
adversaries alike that the United States does not support the illegal 
seizure of sovereign territory. Most importantly, we say to American 
troops and their families that they will not be sent into more 
unnecessary wars, not on our watch.
  I urge my colleagues, whether you believe the President is serious 
about wanting to take over other countries or not, whether you take him 
at his word or not, whether you think he might involve us in 
unnecessary wars of conflict or not, let's not leave it up to chance.
  The decision of whether to make war is perhaps the most important 
responsibility Congress has under the Constitution. Let's not surrender 
our responsibility to a President who speaks so casually about taking 
over other nations. Our men and women in uniform deserve better than 
that, and our country deserves better than that.

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