James A. Himes

“Here we are again, debating something that is not debatable. It is in the Constitution that every single one of us pledges to uphold. You can read it. It says that the Congress authorizes military action. It doesn't matter how good or bad or evil or close to a nuclear weapon a foe is. What matters is that the Constitution says we debate and approve military action. Today, of course, we are well beyond the 60 days of the start of this hostility.”

“Mr. Speaker, I have been listening carefully to my Republican colleagues, and they will get no argument from me on the notion that we have been at war with Iran for decades. They will get no argument at all. As Mr. Mast keeps saying, this is a bad and evil regime. Yes, we have been at war, but at no point in those decades have we been so obviously losing that war in any strategic sense. The Iranian Navy is at the bottom of the ocean.”

“In this polarized and angry Congress, we are actually getting something done, and we are getting something done that is really important. Throughout my district, from Greenwich to Bridgeport, from Ridgefield to Oxford, I don't spend a day where I don't hear somebody say: I can't afford the rent. I can't afford to buy. We have a crisis of housing in this country. While this won't fix everything, this is a huge step in the right direction. There is a lot of work that remains to be done.”