LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Click bill # to find out about the legislation. Click "Co-sponsors" for who supports the Bill
Senate Bills are BLUE
House Bills Are Orange
Current Priority Legislation, (See all legislation we track on our "legislative tracker" below)
VOTING TO BLOCK FUNDING FOR THE WAR WILL BE THE MAIN ACTION ITEM IN THE LAME DUCK SESSION OF CONGRESS
IT REMAINS OUR PRIORITY ASK RIGHT NOW
(but there are other items we will share below)
Here are the four demands we made of our Congressional Delegation Members on the 20th and going forward.
1 - Block any defense authorization (NDAA) or appropriation that does not bar the use of funds for the war in Iran. The Trump administration cannot continue to wage war against the express will of Congress and the American people, and Congress has the power of the purse - it must use it. Our BEST BET right now is to cut funding!!!
- There is funding for the war in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a "Continuing Resolution" set to be voted on to keep the government open.
- We want them to vote against both until war funding is removed.
- There may also be a specific war funding bill - a stand alone bill that we will want them to vote against.
- We will let you know when the next vote is as soon as we do -- At this point even Congress doesn't know what will happen.
2- Enforce any war powers resolution directing the President to terminate hostilities against Iran. Congress has already passed one war powers resolution, they have a duty to enforce that resolution through all available means, including by taking legal action and blocking funding in order to force the administration to end this illegal war. This could be the first US war stopped in court - but that is likely to take a long time and could go on for months. We can't wait - but we MUST pursue every avenue available to us.
3 - Support Peace with Iran – Call for President Trump to return to negotiations to end the war and Oppose Sanctions Escalation. Attacks on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were counterproductive and made it easier to return to war. If President Trump is lucky enough to return to the MOU or a similar deal, it deserves support as the alternative to a disastrous war.
4 - Investigate Deadly Strikes on the Iranian Wedding & Minab School bombing. We are still being denied basic answers about the Minab School bombing - one of the deadliest U.S. attacks on civilians in decades - and the bombing of a wedding in Kohestak. All war crimes committed against civilians should receive an independent investigation and accountability.
Other Priority Peace Legislation
In the Senate: S.5476 - E1 Sanctions bill: Block New Settlements in the Palestinian Territories
- Introduced 9/23 by Senator Coons and 20 cosponsors (Sens. Warren, Wyden, Gallego, Bennet, Duckworth, Heinrich, Kaine, Kelly, Kim, Merkley, Murphy, Murray, Reed, Schatz, Schiff, Slotkin, Van Hollen, Welch, Shaheen, and Whitehouse)
- The bill would impose sanctions on foreign individuals who facilitate settlement construction in the E1 area and lists which actors might be implicated
- See IMEU’s fact sheet on the E1 Settlement here, and A New Policy’s analysis of the bill here
In The House: H.R.10642 - Stop the Settlements Act:
- Introduced 9/30 by Reps. Castro, Dean, Beyer, Casar, Jacobs, and Escobar, now with 49 cosponsors (Balint, Beyer, Blair, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Casar, Casten, Dean, DeLauro, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Escobar, Frost, Grijalva, Hoyle, Huffman, Jackson, Jacobs, Jayapal, Johnson, Kamlager-Dove, Khanna, Lynch, McDonald Rivet, McGovern, McIver, Mejia, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Pingree, Pocan, Quigley, Randall, Salinas, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Simon, Stansbury, Takano, Thompson, Tokuda, Tonko, Tran, Velázquez, Waters, Williams) Our Pennsylvania Co-sponosr, above, are in bold
- This bill would stop the construction of new settlements or expansion of existing settlements and outposts in the WB and Gaza through the use of sanctions and a prohibition on the importation of goods made in these settlements and outposts, mirroring international efforts being implemented by a number of EU countries, Canada, and the UK
- See press release of the bill
H.R.3565 - Block the Bombs Act:
- Block the Bombs now has 82 cosponsors, with the latest being Rep. Wahab (CA-14)!
- Updated target list (members who voted YES to Rep. Massie’s NDAA amendment to cut off all FMF funding to Israel but who are NOT signed onto BtB): Reps. Amo, Auchincloss, Brownley, Carbajal, Clark, Crockett, Crow, DeGette, Friedman, Robert Garcia, Goodlander, Joarder, Houlahan, Ivey, Julie Johnson, Keating, Mannion, Matsui, McBride, Moore, Moulton, Mullin, Neal, Neguse, Pelosi, Pettersen, Randall, Deborah Ross, Robert Scott, Smith, and Trahan - We will make it a topic of conversation and a demand when we meet with Houlahan.
We will also try to get the Republicans, Fitzpatrick on board and - why not - Smucker and Mckenzie too. The chances are slim but better in the lame duck session. Especially if they have lost their respective re-election bids.
General Tips and Best Practices - to lobby Congress a few, short sentences about why you personally support or oppose a proposal is best. Most importantly, always be courteous and clear . (The time for direct action is after they refuse to budge.)
When lobbying:
- Be specific;
- Ask for action;
- Use time wisely;
- Plan out your remarks;
- Solicit support from your legislator;
- Tell the truth;
- Be respectful;
- Follow-up: write a thank you note.
Click on the button below and you will be directed to a spread sheet of all the bills we are tracking - we update this periodically
