US Senator Dick Durbin says he remains skeptical of the Trump administration’s military objectives in attacking Iran and suggests that rising gas prices may ultimately force the president to change course.
“And that's ridiculous. I mean, if this were a mission that was critical to the national security of the United States, we would do what's necessary and come home. But he seems to be waging it based on a view of the Wall Street Journal every morning.”
Amid ongoing bombing by the US and Israel, Iran has begun attacking oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have surged in response despite announcements this week by the US and other countries that they plan to release strategic oil reserves to stabilize the market.
The Democratic Senator says the ongoing conflict is aiding America's adversaries
“First, to have thousands of people, including many Americans, stranded in the Middle East, as this war wages could have been avoided. Secondly, we've now reached the point where we're encouraging the sale of Russian oil. Vladimir Putin's great news for him, money coming into his coffers so he can wage a war in Ukraine.”
Democrats will try once again to pass a war powers act restricting military operations in Iran, and are pushing for public hearings with cabinet members involved in the conflict.
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with PBS,
said they will not seek negotiations with the U.S., citing America’s strikes during previous talks as grounds for no longer trusting U.S. diplomatic efforts.
SAVE Act
President Donald Trump says he will not sign any legislation until the Senate passes the SAVE Act.
The act would require Americans to present documentary evidence of identity to register to vote and a photo I.D. to cast a ballot.
Senator Durbin said the bill would affect millions of voters. Americans would need a passport, which half the population does not have. Another route is a birth certificate, which affects married women because their last name would be different. He says that both options to rectify would take weeks, even months.
“So when we're talking about changing the way people vote, keep in mind what this is all about. The President is afraid he's going to lose the midterm election. He is trying to diminish the number of people who can vote. And that's what this bill is all about.”
The Senator claims the incidence of voter fraud was 24 times over the last 20 years, saying it is not a national crisis that needs this kind of response.
Senator Majority Leader Republican John Thune of South Dakota plans to bring the bill to a vote next week. Members of his caucus have reservations about ending the filibuster.
Rising costs in America
Senator Durbin has been hearing from constituents regarding rising grocery, utility, rent, and mortgage costs and asking how Congress can step in to help.
"Why are utility bills in Illinois going up as fast as they are? Two reasons. One of them is data centers. We have some 20 or 30 now and another 10 or 15 on the board. One data center in Yorkville that is being built is going to use so many megawatts, gigawatts of electricity that it accounts for about the electricity used by one-third of the households in Illinois," Durbin said. "What's going to happen when that electricity demand is there? Our prices, our utility prices are going to go up on families across America. I'm concerned about that. Well, what can we do about it? Well, the cheapest and best available sources of electricity now are sustainable clean sources, solar panels and wind as example.
"But we've got a problem. We have a president who says that climate should be denied and it's a hoax to say that something's wrong with our environment. It has something to do with weather. You look at it and you say, he's not paying attention. We're having tornadoes like we've never had before. Extreme weather events. People know that the planet we live on is warmer now than it's ever been. So if we reverse the Trump energy policy and have real competition with sustainable sources of energy, we have a better chance as consumers to have affordable utility bills."
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