Dear John,

The newly voted-in House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Sunday that the House will be moving forward with a $14.5 billion "aid" package for Israel this week. The standalone bill emerged from a whopping $105 billion supplementary funding request from President Biden to pay for multiple, active and impending wars that Congress was originally voting on. The initial request included more money for the war in Ukraine, funding for patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and weapons and bases to surround China with. Johnson believes Israel requires "immediate attention" and is separating the funding to Israel in hopes that it will draw bipartisan support and move quicker through Congress. He says Congress will address the other parts of the funding request once Israel is taken care of. 

Missing from the standalone bill is the $9 billion in unspecified humanitarian assistance that was originally supposed to be split between Israel, Ukraine, and Gaza. Our Congress is blatantly prioritizing the genocide of Palestinians over providing Gazans with the aid they need desperately. The international calls for a ceasefire are being ignored almost entirely. This bill will likely pass on top of the already massive $886 billion war budget. It will fund Israel's genocide in Gaza despite protests across the country in support of Palestine. 

Biden and Congress have made their position clear: the United States will wage and support wars no matter the human cost. No matter the cost to people within the United States who can’t afford food or housing,  no matter the cost to refugees driven from their homes, no matter the number of Palestinians murdered by Israel, the U.S. War on Drugs that led to violence and rampant corruption, and U.S. sanctions that strangled Latin American economies. 

Tell Congress to vote NO on this shameful bill!

The United States Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen recently said with confidence that the United States could certainly “afford two wars” when asked if it could really finance war in Ukraine as well as the Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

Hear that loud and clear: we can afford two wars! In contrast, here’s what we are told we CANNOT afford:

• Public colleges
• Bridges
• Roads
• Healthcare
• Housing
• Student debt relief
• Childcare
• Child tax credit
• Adequately funded public schools 
• Comprehensive Public transit 

But you heard it here, folks – we can afford TWO wars! 

Tell Congress that the people of the world Say NO to more war! Vote NO on "aid" to Israel! 

We owe it to ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Ukraine, and China to stand up against our country’s war-mongering. When over 8,000 Palestinians are killed in three weeks in Gaza, most of the bombs dropped on them say “Made in the USA.” According to Middle East Monitor, Israel has fired over 12,000 tonnes of explosives into Gaza since 7 October 2023. The explosive force is estimated to be equivalent to the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan in 1945. We need to tell Congress they cannot fund genocide and endless wars in our name. 

In fact, we are doing more than just writing to Congress. We will be there with thousands of people on November 4 for the National March on Washington D.C. for Palestine! RSVP and find transportation information here. 

Not in the US but still want to take action? Read up on false media narratives in the reporting on Palestine, and expose the Genocide Gang!

In peace and solidarity,
Ann, Danaka, Cale, Calla, Farida, Grace, Jasmine, Jodie, Marcy, Medea, Melissa, Michelle, Nancy, Nour, Nuvpreet, Paki, Terry, Tim, and Ysa