Last week, the House of Representatives passed two key pieces of legislation that will not only stop Trump from illegally waging war with Iran, but limit the ability of future administrations to drag us into potentially devastating conflicts.
This is big.
Let’s recap what the House passed and what it means:
☑️ Rep. Ro Khanna’s bill would cut off funding if the president starts an unauthorized war with Iran and clarifies that such authorization does not currently exist.
☑️ Rep. Barbara Lee’s bill would repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq that is, incredibly, being cited as a legal justification for General Soleimani’s assassination by the Trump administration.
☑️ BOTH bills are key obstacles to Trump’s ability to unilaterally start a war with Iran and a critical step toward Congress reasserting its sole constitutional power to determine matters of war and peace today and in the future.
Last month we feverishly worked to avoid a U.S.-Iran war, joining hundreds of thousands of people like you in taking to the streets, raising our voices, signing petitions, and contacting our representatives with letters and calls, all with one singular goal: avoiding a devastating war.
But we’ve been at this fight for years.
For far too long, U.S. presidents have waged war across the world with little oversight or constraints. Congress passed the 2002 AUMF to allow George W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003. And while the Iraq War officially ended in 2011, in 2014 Obama used this AUMF as part of the “legal” basis for airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
Win Without War was there then, working to pull us away from actions that would only devastate lives on the ground and fuel further violence.
Now, in 2020, Trump and his war cabinet are trying to exploit the same 2002 AUMF! This time to go to war with Iran. So, we’re here once again.
It has been clear for decades that Congress needs to reclaim its constitutional authority to declare war. This includes putting roadblocks in front of Trump and any president who would drag us into yet another disastrous war of choice.
And with January’s votes in the House, we’ve got a critical opportunity to see those roadblocks realized.
We now turn our focus to the Senate, where Sen. Kaine’s War Powers Resolution will soon be up for a vote. Senators would be wise to remember that the majority of people in the United States oppose a war with Iran and want to see Congress reassert its war-making authority. And in the coming days you’ll see another opportunity to remind them of just that.
But if you’re ready to do something right now, please consider making a $4 donation to help us keep these calls and letters coming until the moment Senators are called to the floor to vote.
It’s clearer than ever that the tides are shifting. Your activism is creating waves.
Thank you for working for peace,
Erica, Abbey, Michael, and the Win Without War team
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