“Operation Epic Fury was President Trump’s commitment to protect our nation. Today, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead. His senior leadership team is dead. His reign of terror is over. Iran’s vast missile arsenal is being dismantled. Its nuclear program has been demolished. Its tentacles of terror are being severed. America is safer. Israel is safer. The Middle East is safer. The world is safer. This is American peace through strength.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about his unwavering support for Operation Epic Fury and emphasized its critical role in protecting America against Iran’s terrorist regime.
Senator Barrasso also expressed his opposition to a Democrat War Powers Resolution the Senate is expected to consider this week. The Democrat resolution would tie the hands of the Commander-in-Chief and undercut American peace through strength.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks:
“President Trump took decisive action this weekend to keep America safe. He did it to stop the number one state-sponsor of terrorism. He did it to forge a path to peace in the Middle East. Operation Epic Fury is one of the boldest military operations in modern history. I support it fully and without reservation.
“President Trump has the courage to do what is right and what needs to be done. Something previous administrations refused to do. Operation Epic Fury has one purpose: to protect the American people from a regime that has spent 47 years trying to destroy us. This is an absolutely bloodthirsty dictatorship, and blood is on their hands.
“Yet I heard the Minority Leader here on the Floor this morning make reference to parents whose sons and daughters serve in the military. Well, I got an e-mail yesterday from one of those parents, a Gold Star parent, because she lost her son in Iraq in 2008. He was from Wyoming, Staff Sergeant Tyler Pickett. She e- mailed me because I had spoken at his funeral in 2008, a 28-year-old from Saratoga, Wyoming, killed by an IED. And we know it was Iran who was supplying those IEDs that killed so many Americans in Iraq and in Afghanistan. And what did she say? She said, ‘I have a request.’ She said, ‘When you speak to our President, Donald J. Trump, will you thank him from me and my family?’ She said, ‘I was working when the attack on Iran took place. My brother texted me and called me. We were cheering, praying, and continuing to pray for everyone. Once again, thank you and God be with you always.’ That’s a mother who lost her son, who was cheering the action this past weekend, and it continues today, to protect the American homeland and for which her son lost his life 18 years ago.
“For 47 years Iran has chanted ‘Death to America,’ and they mean it. Iran arms and bankrolls terrorists. Terrorists who have killed thousands of Americans. Terrorists who on October 7, 2023 killed over one thousand Israelis and Americans. Iran has plotted assassinations on American soil against dissidents, against American officials, and even against President Trump. Iran continued to race to build nuclear weapons – even after the successful bombing of their nuclear facilities. They continue to build and stockpile missiles.
“Make no mistake: Iran is not some faraway threat. It is a clear and present danger to the United States. And Congress knows it. In the past 96 hours, Iran has launched a wave of missiles and drones and targeted 11 countries in the region. Think about that. These countries are their immediate neighbors. Iran’s indiscriminate attacks prove Iran poses a universal threat.
“President Trump gave Iran every opportunity to choose peace. Iran chose delay. Iran chose deception. Iran chose destruction. Iran refused every diplomatic off-ramps offered. Iran believed it could once again run out the clock without consequences. Iran was wrong. Operation Epic Fury was President Trump’s commitment to protect our nation. Today, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead. His senior leadership team is dead. His reign of terror is over. Iran’s vast missile arsenal is being dismantled. Its nuclear program has been demolished. Its tentacles of terror are being severed. America is safer. Israel is safer. The Middle East is safer. The world is safer. This is American peace through strength.
“Operation Epic Fury also sends a strong message to America’s other adversaries. Iran’s allies and enablers are China and Russia. For years, every dollar of Iranian oil and weapon sales sustained their terrorist regime. The oil and weapons also strengthened our adversaries. This anti-American Axis of Aggression is now weaker. President Trump has reshaped the strategic landscape in the Middle East and around the world.
“Inside Iran, people are pouring into the streets to celebrate. To the Iranian people, you have endured decades of repression and brutality. This is your moment of freedom. America stands with you.
“As Operation Epic Fury succeeds in Iran, far-left Democrats in this chamber are on a mission to undercut American peace through strength. This week, Democrats will force a vote on yet another War Powers Resolution. Democrats’ War Powers Resolution would tie the hands of the Commander-in-Chief as he works to protect our country. The administration briefed the so-called Gang of Eight before Operation Epic Fury began. Every Senator will be briefed later this afternoon. The mission objectives are clear and publicly stated. Destroy Iran’s missile industry. Destroy Iran’s navy. Destroy Iran’s terrorist proxy network. Stop the world’s number one state-sponsor of terror from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“President Trump protected our country by enforcing a Red Line with Iran. That is the opposite of President Obama who tried to buy the Ayatollah’s friendship with pallets of cash. Under the War Powers Act, the President retains authority to conduct missions like this for a minimum of 60 days. Now is the time for Congress to support our service members in the combat zone – not undermine them from this chamber.
“If Senate Democrats are truly concerned about protecting the American people, here is what they should do right now. Fund the Department of Homeland Security. Today, the greatest threat to our safety at home is terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security is on the frontline against terrorism. It protects our airports, our shores, our cyber networks, and our homeland. Democrats have shut down the Department of Homeland Security. The Democrat shutdown endangers the American people.
“This weekend in Austin, Texas, a killer wore a tee shirt with the Iranian flag and a sweatshirt that read ‘Property of Allah.’ The investigation is ongoing, but the message is clear: now is a time to be on high alert. For the safety of the American people, the Department of Homeland Security needs to be fully funded – and its workers fully paid.
“Republicans stand with the brave men and women carrying out Operation Epic Fury. We pray for their safety in harm’s way. We also pray for the families of the service members who gave their lives in defense of freedom. Peace through Strength always keeps America secure. As Majority Whip, I will do everything possible to defeat Senator Kaine’s resolution that undercuts Peace through Strength. Republicans will continue to work for the safety and security of the United States of America.”
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