March 17, 2026
Dear Members of Congress,
We, the undersigned faith organizations, write to urge you to oppose the reported military supplemental appropriations bill that could provide $50 billion or more for the war on Iran.
As faith organizations, we are called to be peacemakers and we cannot support investment in a war of aggression that is both illegal and reckless. Instead of investing billions in more bombs, we urge you to take action to immediately end this war which puts innocent people, both Iranian civilians and U.S. service members, in harm’s way. We affirm a preference for diplomacy and support the allocation of resources to assist the staggering numbers of displaced people who are the victims of the war.
Initial reports indicated that over 1,200 Iranians have already been killed, including more than 170 children who were killed in the bombing of a school on the first day of the war. Six U.S. service members have also lost their lives. If this war continues, those numbers will rise exponentially. Approving the supplemental funding request would in effect approve the continuation of this illegal war of choice and risks being interpreted by the administration as implicit congressional authorization for military action against Iran. Congress must not allow a funding vote to be used to claim legal authority for a war that has never been explicitly debated or authorized, as required under the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Act of 1973.
Over the last 25 years in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere we have seen the costs of wars as countries and families have been destroyed. We know that regime change wars do not bring peace and stability. They do not lead to disarmament. They do not protect human rights. They do not result in democracy. There is no reason to think that this war will be different.
Our call to oppose funding this war is rooted in a theology that calls us to embrace our enemies and to work for a world where all people can flourish without fear or threat of violence. We are called to advocate for the least among us, ensuring that each person’s needs are met – not just those of our family or community. This call is grounded in scripture, calling on followers of Jesus to seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14), to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21), to beat their swords into plowshares and learn war no more (Isaiah 2:4), and to refrain from hoarding resources (Exodus 16).
Additionally, we cannot ignore administration officials and certain members of Congress utilizing increasingly Islamophobic framing of this conflict — language that invokes the darkest moments after 9/11 and puts our American Muslim brothers and sisters in harm’s way. This is not, and must never be framed as, a religious war. It is a political conflict, and we must forcefully reject any effort to weaponize religious difference. We reject theologies of violence, including framing this conflict as part of a Biblical plan to bring about the end of the world, to justify any military action, as our faith compels us to act for peace.
The military does not need more money. Congress already approved $153.3 billion in supplemental military funding last year, bringing the total military budget to more than $1 trillion dollars. This proposal for billions more in supplemental funding for war also comes as the administration is pushing for $1.5 trillion in military spending for fiscal year 2027. The Pentagon has never passed an audit and its budget is already replete with waste and fraud. The military should not be given more money to fund an illegal war.
If this war continues, the current request will likely be followed by additional even larger requests for money. It is estimated that the cost of the war in Iran has already been at least $5 billion, and those costs could mount for years as was the case with past wars launched by the U.S. As Congress slashes funding for healthcare and food assistance for four million Americans, we cannot afford to invest billions in an illegal war that most Americans oppose. This is an illegal, unauthorized war that will only put civilians across the globe, as well as U.S. service members, in further harm’s way.
We therefore call on Congress to stand against providing even one more dollar for war by opposing further military funding in a supplemental appropriations bill or the normal appropriations process. As followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, our faith demands action for peace and justice.
Sincerely,
National and International
Alliance of Baptists
American Friends Service Committee
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Church World Service
Community of Christ USA Team of Apostles
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Region
Fellowship of Reconciliation — USA
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ
Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network Faith-based Caucus
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Churches
Pax Christi USA
Peace Catalyst International
Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
Presentation Sisters Union — US Unit
Quixote Center
Sisters of Christian Charity, Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Team
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team
The Catholic Worker
The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society
United Church of Christ
United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
Local
Bernardine Franciscan Sisters
Central United Methodist Church, Albuquerque, NM
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Cudahy United Methodist Church
Dominican Sisters of Hope
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Peace and Justice Office
First Spanish United Methodist Church/People’s Church, East Harlem, New York City
First United Methodist Church of Raton, New Mexico
First United Methodist Church, Los Alamos, NM
Franciscan Peace Center, Clinton, Iowa
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FPSA)
Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters, Monroe, MI
Morningside United Methodist Church, New York City
Morning Star United Methodist Church, Las Cruces, NM
New Mexico Conference of The United Methodist Church
Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), Scranton, PA
Office of Peace, Justice, and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of Charity of New York
Presentation Sisters, San Francisco
School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic-Midwest Province
School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province
Sisters of Bon Secours, USA
Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation
Sisters of Charity of New York
Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa
Sisters of St. Francis Leadership Team, Dubuque, Iowa
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province
Sisters of the Holy Family, Fremont, CA
Sisters of the Humility of Mary
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, New Windsor, NY
St. John’s United Methodist Church, Lubbock, TX
St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, Albuquerque, NM
Tennessee-Western Kentucky Church and Society Board
United Methodist Church for All People, Columbus, OH
United Methodist Church — Horizon Texas Conference Church and Society