Senator Marco Rubio wants the Trump administration to completely disregard congressional approval when it comes to the question of potentially using force against Iran.
In the case that Iran or its proxy forces threaten the U.S., the Florida Senator declared that the U.S. government will “respond forcefully.”
Rubio signaled that the “Trump administration has repeatedly said it has no plans to start a war” with Iran. Nevertheless, Rubio defended his support for strong executive power in foreign policy matters staying that the “President doesn’t need congressional authorization to defend our nation against attacks.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly said it has no plans to start a war with #Iran
But it has also made clear that it will respond forcefully to an attack
President doesn’t need congressional authorization to defend our nation against attackshttps://t.co/w1AyEIdRhW
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 20, 2019
For now, Rubio has cooled off on his calls for regime change abroad.
However, certain forms of external events could have Rubio going back to his neoconservative programming like he has done in the past with countries like Venezuela. At this juncture, the U.S. is too overstretched militarily and entangled abroad to pursue further conflicts. It will simply have to retract and pursue a foreign policy that puts American interests first.
Trump should resist the temptation of interventions from the likes of Rubio and company. Instead, he should focus on the number #1 issue for voters going into the 2020 elections—immigration.
