This week, President Trump announced the creation of his so-called “Board of Peace,” appointing himself as its indefinite chairman.
In its charter, the board claims to be an “international peace-building body,” with the mission to “promote stability” and “secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
Sadly, Trump’s Board of Peace is a deeply flawed, unserious, and harmful initiative. It lacks international legitimacy, empowers authoritarian governments, and undermines the real, difficult work of building peace – the very work that his administration began systematically dismantling at the outset of his presidency a year ago.
As FCNL’s Bridget Moix wrote in December, “peacebuilding is sacred work” that requires addressing the root causes of conflicts and centering the voices and needs of those most impacted.
Experts from the Alliance for Peacebuilding warned this week that the administration’s “draconian cuts” to this work are “exacerbating violence, conflict, and instability globally,” reversing hard-won gains for peace and taking a devastating toll on the world’s most vulnerable people.
Meanwhile, the first year of this administration has been marked by a dramatic surge of U.S. militarism around the globe, using force in Somalia, Nigeria, Iran, Venezuela, and on the high seas while threatening violence against many other nations, including our allies.
These policies run directly counter to the professed mission of the Board of Peace – and to the world we seek. But as Bridget said this week, “while we cannot recover the lives lost, we are not powerless to change our path forward.”
By restoring real investments in peacebuilding, Congress can and must “repair this damage and chart a new way forward—one that recognizes that true security is built on the foundations of peace and justice” – not by decree of the powerful.
Elsewhere
Bipartisan resolution against war in Venezuela narrowly fails
A Venezuela War Powers Resolution narrowly failed in a tied vote in the House Thursday evening. Even though it failed, the vote still showed bipartisan opposition to war on Venezuela. Past votes in the Senate have dissuaded the administration from further attacks on the country.
Congressional champions for peace are still thinking through next steps to prevent more war. We know that our struggle isn’t over and we will keep working for peace.
Immigration enforcement brutalizes people, funding passes
This week, ICE detained a five-year-old boy in Minnesota, using him as bait to force his father out of hiding. Local officials determined that a man killed by homicide in ICE detention in Texas. These are just two of the painful and unacceptable stories of the harm our federal government is inflicting on our communities. And now they are surging into Maine.
Simultaneously, the House narrowly passed a bill to fund more of the Department of Homeland Security’s atrocities and assaults with little to no accountability. As the bill heads to the Senate, Congress must do its job and ensure real accountability — not provide more funding for ICE to kill with impunity.
Right now, no place is safe from immigration enforcement. In addition to halting more funding for terror in our communities, Congress must rein in ICE to protect the centers of our communities: our hospitals, schools, and places of worship must be free from violence and terror. Tell Congress: ICE out of Sensitive Locations!
Building Power Amidst Chaos: Major Opportunities in 2026
It’s a new year, but the chaos coming from Washington is only accelerating. Grassroots pressure will be critical in the months ahead in our collective work for peace and justice.
