Jeff Walter
Role at the time: Republican candidate for U.S. House in Illinois's 11th district, in an emailed statement
Statement summary
Jeff Walter, the Republican candidate for U.S. House in Illinois's 11th district, said in an emailed statement that he would support requiring congressional authorization for a prolonged or expanding war with Iran, but not language that stops the President from responding to an imminent attack. He said he would evaluate the exact language of any resolution and that his objective is preventing a nuclear-armed Iran while avoiding an open-ended war.
“I would support requiring congressional authorization for a prolonged or expanding war with Iran rather than giving any President an open-ended commitment of American forces. At the same time, I would not support language that prevents the President from responding immediately to an imminent attack on the United States, American forces, or our allies.”
Read the full email
I believe the United States must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, using strong economic sanctions, diplomacy, international pressure, and credible military deterrence. At the same time, Congress has a constitutional responsibility when the United States becomes engaged in sustained hostilities. Recent House war-powers resolutions regarding Iran have directed the removal of U.S. forces unless Congress has specifically authorized those hostilities, while preserving the President’s ability to defend the United States, our forces, and our allies from imminent attack. If a resolution came before me, I would evaluate its exact language and the circumstances at that time. I would support requiring congressional authorization for a prolonged or expanding war with Iran rather than giving any President an open-ended commitment of American forces. At the same time, I would not support language that prevents the President from responding immediately to an imminent attack on the United States, American forces, or our allies. Congress should debate and vote openly if sustained military action against Iran is necessary. My objective would remain preventing a nuclear-armed Iran while avoiding an unnecessary open-ended war and preserving America's ability to defend itself and its allies.
Walter sent this statement by email in reply to a Dispute Index request about whether he would vote for a war powers resolution on Iran. The link is to his campaign website; the statement itself is not published there.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case tracks support for continued U.S. military operations against Iran, including whether a candidate would vote for a war powers resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities. Walter supports requiring congressional authorization for a prolonged or expanding war but does not commit to a vote, saying he would evaluate a resolution's exact language and circumstances, and he rejects language that would block a response to an imminent attack. His position depends on express conditions, so we labeled it Mixed or Conditional.