Support the No War against Iran Act, Reject Another Unjust War
The Issue
Each year, Congress must approve the Department of Defense’s budget. It is during that process that they add, among other things, any stipulations on the use of funds. This bill, passed and signed into law annually, is called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the 2020 budget of $738 billion that removed all prohibitions on the White House from taking preemptive or offensive action in or against Iran. After the Trump Administration’s assassination of Iranian General Qassam Soleimani, the country is closer to another hot war in the Middle East.
War is a moral evil. Technological advances have only exacerbated this grim reality. A 2015 study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies found that despite there being fewer armed conflicts globally than in past years, they are producing more casualties. A November 2019 study conducted by the Watson Institute at Brown University found that civilians account for the largest share of the 770,000 – 800,000 violent deaths in the US’s post-9/11 wars. Wars are not getting any “smarter,” but they are getting deadlier, and the poor and vulnerable are on the frontlines. We must act now to prevent a hot war with Iran.
Proposed Action
Denying the Pentagon funds would put a forceful, binding – rather than a symbolic – check on President Trump’s offensive war-making powers. Of the Connecticut congressional delegation, only Senator Blumenthal and Representatives DeLauro and Himes have cosponsored the bill in their respective chambers of Congress. Contact Senator Murphy and your representative and urge them to cosponsor the No War against Iran Act in the Senate and House, respectively.
Who to Contact:
Senator Chris Murphy: 860.549.8463, https://www.murphy.senate.gov/contact
Representative John Larson: 860.278.8888, https://larson.house.gov/contact
Representative Joe Courtney: 860.886.0139, https://courtney.house.gov/contact
Representative Jahana Hayes: 860.223.8412, https://hayes.house.gov/contact
Sample Message
“Hello, my name is ___, and I live in your district. I am contacting you to urge you to cosponsor the No War against Iran Act. The killing of Iranian General Soleimani put us dangerously close to entering yet another war in the Middle East. Congress has the Constitutional responsibility to control wartime spending and check the president’s non-emergency war-making powers. When we protect peace, we protect the interests of the poor.”
More Information
“Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna: How We Stop War with Iran,” CNN Opinion
“How Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna Want to Block Trump from Attacking Iran,” Mercury News
“Suleimani’s Death Changes Nothing for Iran,” New York Times
Brief background on Qassam Soleimani as a cultural and political figure in Iran and among Shiite Muslims via Democracy Now
