John,

Tomorrow, President Biden will deliver the annual State of the Union address. Millions of Americans will tune in to watch his televised speech to Congress.

On the same day, organizations around the country are preparing a People’s State of the Union rally in Washington, D.C. to express outrage that our government keeps handing over billions of our tax dollars to fund war and genocide—all while neglecting our communities’ urgent needs in the United States.

Their main demands are: “Immediate and permanent ceasefire now! Stop U.S. aid for Israel’s genocide against Palestinians! Fund the peoples’ and planet’s needs—not war and militarism.”

Recent polls have found that among the people who voted for Biden in 2020, 62% want the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel, and half “think that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinian civilians.”¹

Two-thirds of U.S. voters continue to support a permanent ceasefire—including 77% of Democrats.² President Biden must urgently listen to the majority of his base of supporters.

Yesterday, 20% of Minnesota voters and 13% of North Carolina voters voted “uncommitted” or “no preference” to register their dissent with President Biden’s support for genocide, following the 101,000 Michigan voters who used our democracy to make their voices heard last week.

Please sign the petition to President Biden: Listen to the American people and call for a permanent ceasefire in tomorrow’s State of the Union address.

Instead of using our government’s leverage to stop the killing of civilians, President Biden continues to send bombs to Israel’s military, veto UN resolutions for a ceasefire, and cut funding from the UN agency providing aid in Gaza.

Last week, Biden’s administration blocked a UN statement condemning Israeli soldiers for massacring over 100 Palestinian civilians waiting for food.

But, our movement’s pressure is shifting some of the Biden administration’s statements about Gaza, and we need to keep it up to see real change. Millions of lives hang in the balance.

Last week, my colleague Rep. Cori Bush and I wrote to President Biden, urging him to facilitate an immediate and lasting ceasefire, end the use of the U.S.’s veto in the UN Security Council to protect far-right Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and end any additional transfer of funds, weapons, or military equipment to the Israeli government.

We asked him to decisively oppose any invasion or bombardment of Rafah, where over 1 million people are trapped as the Israeli military prepares a ground invasion for March 10, regardless of a potential temporary ceasefire deal.

Please sign on to demand President Biden call for a lasting ceasefire in tomorrow’s State of the Union address, and invest our tax dollars into our communities’ needs rather than bombs and genocide.

Thank you for demanding a government that’s about us, the people. We still have an opportunity to save millions of people’s lives left in Gaza, and to support life-affirming investments in our communities.

In solidarity,

Rashida

¹ Poll: Majority of Americans Say Biden Should Halt Weapons Shipments to Israel, 50% of Biden voters say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, poll finds
² Voters Support the U.S. Calling for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza and Conditioning Military Aid to Israel