Page 1 of 4

Senator Jon Tester

Floor Speech
ISIL
September 18, 2014

Mr/Madame President, when we head to the Senate floor, we make choices.

We first choose how to get here: do we take the subway or walk? We also choose whether to stop
and talk to a colleague on the way.

But we also choose whether to speak with the press. Normally, there are plenty of reporters waiting
for a comment.

Now, Ill be blunt. I and many of our colleagues are often a little picky with who we talk to. I like
talking to reporters just fine, my staff well, they get a little nervous.

But last week, coming out of the secure briefing on the situation in the Middle East, I went right up to
the first reporter I saw.

Thats because no one at the briefing asked how much the war with ISIL would cost or how wed pay
for it.

At the end of the briefing, I asked those questions myself. But its telling, Mr/Madame President, that
NO ONE else voiced their concerns about cost.

It leads me to ask: are we putting another war in the Middle East on a credit card? Will it be added to
our debt? Will our grandchildren once again pay for our choices today?

I also ask what domestic programs will we cut next for this unpaid for war? Improvements to our
highways? Head Start? Violence Against Women Act funding?
We arent having a real debate, Mr/Madame President. Well be voting today whether to authorize
the training of so-called moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State.

Earlier this year, the President told us this would cost about 500 million dollars. You can say this bill
contains no specific dollar amount, but that is what this Administration is going to spend and thats
just to start.

This discussion will take less than half a day. That is crazy.

We have had some briefings and some of the Committees up here have had hearings. But the
Senate needs a real debate about our involvement in Iraq and Syria. I want a debate. Thats why Im
speaking now. And its why I made sure the press knew my concerns.

We should not be sprinting home to campaign and debating war for less than half a day.

Five hundred million dollars is a lot of money, Mr/Madame President. It would go a long way in a
state like Montana, where we need to upgrade our roads and bridges, fund pre-Kindergarten
education and take care of our public lands.


Page 2 of 4

This week, the President also said hell be sending up to one billion dollars to combat the threat of
Ebola in West Africa.

Im not going to argue that theres a strong case for supporting these requests. ISIL and Ebola are
both terrible in their own rights and no one would think twice if we wiped them from the face of the
Earth.

But I have questions about how we pay for these kinds of actions and what our long-term strategy is.

The President requested 58 billion dollars for additional Defense spending for the 2015 fiscal
year. That is spending on top of the 490 billion bucks that is just a part of the normal Defense
Departments budget.

But the bill were voting on today puts the Defense budget on autopilot. Theres no chance to find
other places to cut spending. Theres no chance to raise revenue so that we dont just put this new
spending on the credit card.

Folks will say this bill is only for two months. Theyll say that on December 11
th
, when this bill expires,
we can prune the Defense budget to cut programs that arent working to pay for this new military
action.

But we all know thats a heavy lift in a city where its easier to spend than it is to save especially
when were already dipping our hand into the pot to fight ISIL and Ebola.

Over a decade ago, we sent American service members to Iraq to overthrow Saddam
Hussein. Americans lost sons and daughters husbands and wives.

Families made great personal sacrifices, but our government never asked us to sacrifice as a
whole. We didnt raise taxes. We didnt cut spending. We didnt set aside money to take care of our
veterans, who returned from the battlefield with wounds both seen and unseen.

As a result, combined with massive tax cuts, our debt and deficit exploded.

Now, 500 million dollars is a far cry from the hundreds of billions we spent in Iraq over the last
decade. But we must stop putting wars on a credit card. And I wonder if once we start an overseas
conflict, do we know where and when it will stop? Do we know what our spending will achieve?

Mr/Madame President, in the last five years, we have actually made some progress on deficit
reduction. Weve cut the deficit by two-thirds. But all that is at risk with the beginning of a new
conflict.

We simply have too many unanswered questions.

The President says we are backed by a coalition of nations ready to join our fight against ISIL, but will
it be a real coalition?

Violent extremists are threats to peace-loving societies no matter where they are. I agree with the
President that we need to contain and destroy ISIL before it gets even stronger.

Page 3 of 4

But only a real coalition, one that includes strong commitments of money, equipment and manpower
from Middle Eastern, Asian, South American and European nations will lead to long-term stability in
the region.

These allies should be footing their share of the bill. As I just mentioned, Americans whether
todays taxpayers or tomorrows should not shoulder a disproportionate burden of the cost.

After all, if countries like Saudi Arabia or Turkey fear the growth of ISIL, they should make real
commitments to the war-fighting effort.

Thats what happened during the first Gulf War. In that war, members of the coalition contributed
more than 80 percent of the wars costs.

Because if ISIL is truly a worldwide problem, then there should be a worldwide response and
commitment to destroying it.

If ISIL is threatening to upset the balance of power in the Middle East, then Middle Eastern nations
MUST step up.

If terrorists from ISIL are a worldwide threat, then the world must step up.

Anything else, Mr/Madame President, is unacceptable.

Some say that in order to ensure world peace, America must be the world leader. They say that no
other country is prepared to be the worlds policeman.

World peace is important, but true peace stems from our ability to rally other nations to our cause.
When we convince someone of the merit of our argument

When we form strong alliances that stand the test of time

When we act in concert with other nations our word and our acts become stronger. And the worlds
respect grows.

Were told today that other countries will respond. That other folks are joining the fight. But actions
speak louder than words.
I, for one, would like to see more of it before I vote to commit American taxpayers money to this fight.

Eleven years ago, we invaded Iraq without a real coalition. And we built our argument on false
pretenses. Moving forward, we MUST have a real debate and a sound strategy.

Mr/Madame President, this body is historically the worlds greatest deliberative body. It was here that
men like Daniel Webster and Henry Clay deliberated.


But were not having that kind of debate today. There were committee hearings this week, but the die
is already cast. The wheels are in motion. As we say in Montana, the horse has left the barn and the
cows are out to pasture.

Page 4 of 4

There are sixteen hundred American troops in Iraq right now who deserve a real debate. Many of
them have husbands and wives and children. I do not know that I can say with certainty to them
Dont worry, we are training the right people to fight on the ground in Syria.

And if America is wrong about who we train and who we arm in Syria, my fear is that that these
sixteen hundred service members will be joined again by tens of thousands more.

For their sake, and the sake of the American taxpayer, we need a fuller debate that will have a real
impact on the decision-making process. And more of that debate should have happened before
todays vote.

I serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee. I know that we must fund the government and
prevent a shutdown. Its the responsible thing to do.
The cost of last years shutdown on Montana businesses was extraordinary and unnecessary. I do
not want a repeat of that fiasco.

Thats why Ill be voting for the continuing resolution later today.

I know that some folks are opposed to this continuing resolution because they think we should pass
the appropriations bills individually.

I appreciate that, and I agree with that.

But the fact is, the Appropriations Committee under the leadership of Chairwoman Mikulski and
Senator Shelby has worked hard and worked in a bipartisan way to try and make that happen.

They have tried to reinvigorate this committee and make sure that the Senate fulfills our
Constitutional responsibility to make the hard choices about how we spend the taxpayers money.

Ironically, some of the folks who have said they dont like passing C-Rs are the very same folks who
have made it harder to pass the bipartisan bills that have come out of the Committee.
Talk about playing down to the American peoples already-low expectations for Congress.

So we have no choice but to pass this bill today.

But Im tired of spending without a plan. Im tired of getting caught up fighting wars in the Middle
East. And Im tired of repeating history without learning its lessons.

We can do better, Mr/Madame President. And for the sake of our troops, our taxpayers and the fate
of our nation and the world, we MUST.

With that, I yield the floor.

##