WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (CA-33) to condemn Republicans’ last-minute postponement of a bicameral, bipartisan briefing on its unauthorized military strike against Iran. Below is an excerpt from her remarks: 

"The Constitution is not a suggestion. Congress is not here for show. Our democratic institutions exist because there are no kings in our country. No one person has the right to declare war. That power belongs to the people through their Representatives.
 
"And yet days after this unauthorized, unconstitutional military strike, the American people still don't know what happened. That is why having this briefing, so late as it was, be postponed even further, is so critical.
 
"And I think we have to put it in the context of everything that is going on in Congress this week. As we have an administration that won't come forward and talk truthfully and honestly about matters of national security and potentially taking us into another war in the Middle East, we also are at the same time debating and on the verge of having the GOP pass Donald Trump's Big, Ugly Bill — taking away the security of American people to hit that first rung of the American Dream.
 
"16 million people losing their health care. Half a trillion dollars out of Medicare. Food taken away from, or threatened, by another 42 million people threatened with losing food programs in this country.

"What is this saying, when the priority of this administration isn't to build a security, whether it is security abroad from aggressors, or whether it is economic security and the security of knowing you can take your family to a doctor without plunging yourself into debt and not giving the facts, not being level with the American people about why this strike was necessary and what they're doing to their economic lives with this Big, Ugly Bill.
 
"All of this is up to this administration to come to Congress and level with the American people and tell them the who, what, where, why was necessary for this military action. The American people, our servicemembers, and us, as Representatives and their voices here, deserve answers."