Congress is looking to stop the war in Yemen. Add your name to this historic fight.
Dear MoveOn member,
I'm Iram Ali, a campaign director and strategist here at MoveOn who is focused on foreign policy. I'm also 28. That means that this country has been at war for over half my life.
My generation grew up after 2001 and we have not really known anything else—or had a choice in this country's foreign policy endeavors.
And yet, we're the generation that will be saddled with trillions in debt from U.S. wars while being given excuse after excuse by an older generation of politicians and pundits as to why Medicare for All isn't possible or why free college is a pipe dream.
But yesterday, the House of Representatives took an extraordinary step—not just unprecedented in my lifetime, but remarkable in all of U.S. history—to rein in endless war and reassert its constitutional authority.
Here's what happened: A bipartisan group of members voted to end U.S. support for the inhumane Saudi-led war in Yemen. Right now, there is an unmatched opportunity to demand that the Senate do the same in order to build on this momentum to fundamentally realign U.S. relations with countries that commit human rights abuses, reclaim war-making power from an out-of-control executive branch, and put us on a pathway to ending our wars.
Now, we are taking this fight to the Senate, which passed a similar bipartisan bill last month, but would have to do so again with Republicans willing to confront the White House. It's a challenge, which is why we need to raise all our voices together.
I firmly believe that if we were all given the opportunity to end our "endless" wars and rein in the bloated Pentagon budget in order to have a government that was actively working toward world cooperation to stem problems such as climate change and invest deeply in social programs that this country needs, it would be a no-brainer.
But the forces that entangle us in endless wars, while creating division on our borders and across the world to protect their profits, are strong.
And yet, yesterday's vote is a HUGE testament to what's possible when we campaign and organize. And to the opportunities present for real change.
The war in Yemen, outside of being completely immoral and costing nearly 85,000 children their lives, is also illegal. Congress has never provided authorization for the U.S. military to be providing support for this conflict. The War Powers Act, which became law after the war in Vietnam, is one way for Congress to rein in illegal wars.
MoveOn members have a history of fighting hard against wars and for peace, diplomacy, and thoughtful foreign policy. MoveOn became a national force of progressive power when millions of people joined to oppose the Iraq War, even when a majority of the country still believed the Bush administration's lies. And in recent years, MoveOn was a leader in securing President Obama's signature diplomatic achievement, the Iran Nuclear accord, pushing Democrats to listen to voters and the majority of Americans who wanted diplomacy and peace.
This vote, if also successful in the Senate, will mark a turning point for U.S. global policies and how we see ourselves in the world.
Here's what we've already accomplished together:
Despite being Republican controlled, the Senate passed a similar resolution in December, with every single Democrat and Independent senator voting in favor of the Yemen War Powers Resolution, along with 14 Republicans. This means that we have a pathway to victory.
Because of new senators that were sworn in earlier this year, though, we can't take the vote as a given. The next steps in this campaign include
- targeting key senators with digital or print ads to ensure they vote the right way,
- producing videos or amplifying existing content that centers Yemeni-American voices across social media,
- making calls so senators hear directly from their constituents on why this is so important to them, and
- bringing in new people to this fight through innovative digital tactics so we can be stronger for the big challenges ahead.
Thanks for all you do.
—Iram, Erik, Erica, Kate A., and the rest of the team
P.P.S. When you're done signing the petition, can you forward this email to five friends? Everyone should know about the change that is possible in this moment.
Want to support our work to build a progressive foreign policy? For too long, our global policies have been based around the interests of weapons manufacturers, detrimental alliances with those who are committing human rights abuses, and xenophobia and anti-Muslim racism that scapegoats some of the most vulnerable communities in the country. Now, we have a chance to start changing that. Will you stand with us and start a weekly contribution today?
Contributions to MoveOn.org Civic Action are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. This email was sent to Alfred Johnson on February 14, 2019. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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