US Sen. Rand Paul says Congress should put Iran war up for a vote

The Kentucky senator talked about the war and answered questions Monday morning during a stop at a manufacturing facility in Elizabethtown.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said Congress should take a vote on the ongoing war in Iran as costs mount.

The Kentucky senator visited about 1,000 employees Monday morning at AGC Automotive Americas in Elizabethtown, which manufactures glass for vehicles.

Paul talked about the war and answered questions, saying he believes Congress should put the war up for a vote.

"I will continue to push for that because I think it's important to the people sacrificing their lives to know that their country actually took the time to debate the pros and cons of the war," Paul said.

He also commented on the mounting costs of the war and said while he's all for a strong national defense, he believes borrowing money makes the country weaker.

Paul's visit came as the U.S. military vows to blockade all Iranian ports starting Monday in an effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a peace deal, The Associated Press reported. Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at U.S.-allied countries.

That set the stage for an extraordinary showdown that posed serious risks for the global economy and raised the specter that the ceasefire could collapse and the war could resume, according to the AP report. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict — which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — failed to reach an agreement this past weekend, and there has been no word on whether negotiations will resume.