PEACE:  The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a massive bill authorizing spending levels and establishing war policy for the Pentagon, is now working its way through Congress. This year’s NDAA would authorize a whopping $886 billion in military spending, far more than we spend on housing, transportation, education, health and human services, the State and Justice Departments, and combatting catastrophic climate change combined.

Floor debate and votes on amendments to the bill could begin as soon as today! There are dozens of amendments that would set us on a more just, pro-peace path. Today I need you to make a quick call to your representative and demand they support these practical, pro-peace amendments.

  • Pro-peace champions Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI)  have introduced an amendment to cut $100 billion from the top-line Pentagon budget without affecting pay and benefits for military personnel. This is a practical initial step to free up massively needed funds for affordable healthcare, relieving student debt, creating good-paying jobs, and tackling the ever-growing climate crisis.
  • Rep. Lee has been joined by a bipartisan group of representatives on an amendment to finally repeal the 2002 Authorization For the Use of Military Force in Iraq. This open-ended war authorization has been used far too often by multiple presidents to perpetuate endless wars. Yet you may recall, last year our work helped pass a bill to repeal the 2002 AUMF in the Senate and built growing bipartisan support to get it passed in the House. This could be the year - if this amendment to repeal the 2002 AUMF makes it into this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), we could make history.
  • A Sara Jacobs (D-CA) led push to block cluster munition sales. You may have seen that President Biden recently authorized the transfer of cluster bombs to Ukraine. This is a tragic mistake, as these weapons indiscriminately kill innocent civilians, including children, in their wake. These weapons are already banned by more than 120 countries under the Convention on Cluster Munitions and for good reason. In a letter to the White House, Human Rights Watch pointed out that  “cluster munitions are among the most harmful weapons to civilians, as they are designed to disperse indiscriminately across a wide area and often fail to explode on initial use, littering communities with unstable unexploded ordnance and causing devastating harm to civilians, and especially children, years after a conflict ends.”

These three amendments would have a major impact on millions of lives, both here at home and abroad. Please contact your representative today and urge them to support these crucial measures!

Here’s all I need you to do today:

1. Call the Congressional switchboard at 1-202-224-3121
2. Ask to be connected to your House representative
3. Once connected, say (In your words as much as possible):

I am calling in regard to the National Defense Authorization Act being debated in the House right now. There are three crucial amendments offered to this bill that I urge the representative to support. First, Rep. Lee’s and Pocan’s amendment to cut $100 billion off the top-line Pentagon budget, which would free up crucial funds for affordable health care, combating climate change, and much more. Second, Rep. Lee’s amendment to finally end the 2002 Authorization For the Use of Military Force in Iraq, which has too frequently been used to justify endless wars. Lastly, Rep. Jacobs’  amendment to prohibit the transfer of deadly cluster munitions, already banned by 120 nations and 23 members of NATO, currently proposed for Ukraine. I look forward to hearing what my Representative’s position is on these important issues.

These budget bills don’t just set policies - they are moral documents. They reflect our nation’s values as well as our strategies — i.e. what we think is most important. Right now it reflects the weapons industry’s special interests more than what you and I care about. That's where we need to speak up and say “No –– It's time to reset our priorities for peace.”

Thank you for your activism on this crucial issue,

 

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