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PCUSA Joins 62 Organizations in Letter to Congress: Halt a March to War with Iran

Washington, D.C. – In light of President Trump and John Bolton’s dangerous escalations against Iran and a forthcoming intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill this afternoon, 62 organizations – including J Street, Indivisible, NIAC Action and Win Without War  – sent a letter calling on Congress to pass legislation to halt a march to war with Iran.

The combined groups, representing millions of Americans concerned about renewed threats of war with Iran, signals a strong desire for Congress to step up and block Trump from leading America into yet another war of choice.

“Last Fall, Americans voted for a new Congress to act as a co-equal branch of government that would finally serve as a check on this president and his reckless impulses,” said NIAC President Jamal Abdi.“Now Trump and his National Security Advisor John Bolton are taking this country to the brink of a completely avoidable military confrontation. It’s time for Congress to turn its words into action by passing legislation to stop Trump and Bolton from starting an illegal war.”

“President Trump’s chaos-first foreign policy centers around his penchant for turning challenges into crises,” said Win Without War Advocacy Director Erica Fein. “His Iran policy is no different: President Obama took us off the path to war, but now Trump and Bolton have put us back on it. It’s time for Congress to put the brakes on a Trump-Bolton war with Iran.”

“If the Trump administration were to launch a war of choice against Iran it would have devastating consequences for the United States, Israel and the entire region,” warned J Street head of government affairs Dylan Williams. “Congress must fulfill its constitutional responsibility by making absolutely clear that the president is not authorized to trigger a new conflagration in the Middle East.”

According to the letter, “As the drumbeat for war grows louder, Congress must fulfill its Constitutional duty and enact further constraints to unequivocally prevent the administration from launching an unauthorized war.” The letter concludes, “The American people do not want another disastrous war of choice in the Middle East. Congress has the chance to stop a war before it starts. Please take action before it is too late.”

Please find a PDF of the letter here, and see the full text below:

May 21, 2019

To: Members of Congress

We write to request that Congress take urgent action to halt a march to war with Iran.

The Trump administration, spurred on by National Security Advisor John Bolton, has moved the U.S. into a war posture. Over the last few weeks, Bolton pushed through unprecedented sanctions and escalated the war of words intended to provoke retaliation from the Iranians. Now, Bolton has used a routine carrier deployment to the Middle East to threaten Iran with “unrelenting force” and has overseen the revision of war plans that would send 120,000 troops to the Middle East if Iran takes his bait.

Congress cannot be complicit as the playbook for the 2003 invasion of Iraq is repeated before our eyes. The administration has increasingly politicized intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, and falsely asserts ties between Iran and al-Qaeda. Worryingly, the administration does not perceive that it is constrained by the lack of Congressional authorization for war with Iran, and has even suggested that the 2001 authorization to use military force could be twisted to green light strikes against Iran.

As the drumbeat for war grows louder, Congress must fulfill its Constitutional duty and enact further constraints to unequivocally prevent the administration from launching an unauthorized war. We urge you to pass legislation to bar funding for an unauthorized war with Iran - The Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act (S. 1039/H.R. 2354) - together with legislation that makes clear that no existing statutory authorization, including the 2001 authorization for use of military force, provides for war with Iran. Moreover, we urge all lawmakers to issue statements making clear that no authorization for an Iran war exists, and that if the Trump administration seeks war it must first come to Congress for debate.

The American people do not want another disastrous war of choice in the Middle East. Congress has the chance to stop a war before it starts. Please take action before it is too late.

Sincerely,

About Face: Veterans Against the War

Americans for Peace Now

Beyond the Bomb

Brave New Films

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Center for American Progress

Center for International Policy

Chino Cienega Foundation

CODEPINK

Common Defense

Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety

Council for a Livable World

Council on American-Islamic Relations

CREDO

Daily Kos

Dallas Peace and Justice Center

Demand Progress

Environmentalists Against War

Federation of American Scientists

Foreign Policy for America

Franciscan Action Network

Freedom Forward

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ

Global Security Institute

Global Zero

Indivisible

J Street

Jewish Voice for Peace

Just Foreign Policy

MADRE

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

NIAC Action

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Nuclear Watch New Mexico

Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance

Palestine Action Committee of Texas

Pax Christi International

Peace Action

Peace Development Fund

Peace Direct

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Ploughshares Fund

PRBB Foundation

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Project South

Public Citizen

Rachel Carson Council

RootsAction.org

T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

The Peace Farm

Tri-Valley CAREs

Truman National Security Project

Union of Concerned Scientists

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

United for Peace and Justice

Veterans For Peace

VoteVets

Washington Against Nuclear Weapons

Western States Legal Foundation

Win Without War

Women's Action for New Directions

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