As the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran rages on, a group of Senators once again forced a vote on Wednesday on a War Powers Resolution to stop it.
While the vote failed 53-47, we applaud these senators for their persistent efforts to exert Congress’s war powers and raise pressure on President Trump to end this unauthorized and immoral war.
“If there’s anything that is plain in that constitution, it is that a president does not have the power to unilaterally … bring a nation and its men and women, into conflict without a say of Congress,” said Sen. Cory Booker (NJ).
“Me and my colleagues will bring up these resolutions again and again and again as more and more Americans on both sides of the aisle see this war for what it is: one president’s decision.”
As a Quaker organization, we deplore all war and have long warned of the dangers of allowing presidents to usurp Congress’s war powers.
While the president has limited authority to use military force to respond to an actual or imminent attack on the United States, President Trump abused his power to launch a costly and disastrous war of choice without the support of the American people or authorization from Congress.
This is exactly what the founders sought to prohibit by explicitly giving Congress the sole authority to decide if our country goes to war.
As we continue to call on Congress to reclaim its war powers and stop this war, we are also urging lawmakers to exert their power of the purse to block more funding for it.
This week, the administration called for over $200 billion to continue the war — four times more than was originally reported.
With more votes expected, this is a crucial time to make our voices for peace heard.
Tell Congress: Stop this illegal and immoral war!
Elsewhere
Deaths rising in immigration custody
More people are dying in immigration custody due to inhumane mistreatment. Measles is breaking out in ICE prisons around the country. This past week, an Afghan man who served with the U.S. died just a day after being taking into custody.
Meanwhile, Senator Markwayne Mullin (OK) advanced through a Senate committee to move towards becoming the head of the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for these deaths. We don’t need a new boss of a cruel immigration enforcement system. We need a new system which keeps our communities and our neighbors safe.
Senate debates anti-voter measure
The Senate is now debating the SAVE Act, which would institute major voter suppression measures and make it harder for millions of people to vote. One columnist for the New York Times, Jamelle Bouie, compares this to tactics from the Jim Crow South and says it is “not just unconstitutional in its provisions but anti-constitutional in its fundamental contempt for popular sovereignty and rule by the governed.”
Transactional foreign aid doesn’t work
This past week, a State Department memo leaked which suggested cutting HIV treatment aid to Zambia if the country didn’t expand access to critical minerals to the United States. This kind of transactional foreign aid is a hallmark of the Trump administration’s policy. But it’s both immoral and ineffective. As a recent report from the Center for Global Development pointed out, a holistic approach is needed in dealing with other countries, otherwise the U.S. may find itself “winning individual deals while losing the broader strategic competition.”
Legislative pathways for keeping Indigenous women and relatives safe
FCNL’s Kaylin Henderson wrote this week about the BADGES for Native Communities Act (S. 390 / H.R. 1010), which would help address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) crisis. We need substantial reforms to improve coordination and funding for tribal law enforcement that respects indigenous sovereignty. Kaylin tells the story of a murdered 14-year-old, Emily Pike. Without changes, more Emilys are at risk.
