Sen. Gillibrand demands a clear strategy after more U.S. troop deaths
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement on July 20 after three more American service members were reported killed over the weekend in the war with Iran. The statement said the weekend deaths bring the U.S. toll to 17 service members.
Gillibrand criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict, calling it “a war with no clear objective, no exit strategy, and no end in sight.” She said she has pressed for a defined strategy, benchmarks and an explanation of what “winning” would look like, and characterized continued strikes without answers as insufficient: “Silence and more strikes are not a strategy.”
The senator also highlighted domestic consequences, saying American families are paying more for fuel and groceries while “billions of taxpayer dollars” are being spent on a conflict that she said has secured nothing. Gillibrand said troops deserve a president who can define their mission and say when they will come home, and that the families of the fallen deserve the truth.
The statement references recent reporting on the fatalities; see reporting from The New York Times for background on the weekend deaths.
