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Friends,

Last week, Donald Trump brought the US to the brink of yet another war in the Middle East.

I’m relieved a ceasefire is now in place – for the sake of Americans, Israelis, Palestinians and Iranians alike. And deeply concerned about the ramifications this will have on our ability to restrain Iran’s nuclear program. The shockwaves will echo for months, years and even decades to come.

Trump’s impulsive choice to risk all-out war with Iran – for uncertain impact on Iran’s nuclear program, without a long-term strategy or congressional approval and reportedly driven by Fox News coverage – is a frightening indictment of how our national security decisions are being made.

That’s why we’re backing an upcoming bipartisan War Powers Resolution from Senator Tim Kaine. It requires Congress to debate and vote before any further military action against Iran – as the Constitution demands.

Importantly, this won’t stop the US from defending ourselves or Israel, or responding to genuine, imminent threats. But as Senator Kaine put it, “Americans don’t want matters of war and peace, bombing and ceasefire, to rest upon the daily whims of any one person.” I agree, especially if that person is Donald Trump.

Friends: Will you read, sign and share our Senate petition?
Tell Congress: Take Back Your War Powers
✍️ Add your name here ✍️

The framers of our Constitution were clear: Only Congress has the power to decide when America goes to war – after public debate and a vote. It’s time for Congress to stand up, defend that principle and send a clear message: No more unauthorized, endless wars.

We’ve been down this road before. The last decades of war in the Middle East came at an enormous price – and we owe it to generations past and future to learn those lessons well.

For too long, we’ve accepted a dangerous precedent where Congress has been willing to cede its war powers to the presidency, weakening democratic checks on crucial decisions with disastrous ramifications for our troops and our national security.

And while some within our community will disagree on the wisdom of decisions made this past week, I think we can all agree that Donald Trump should not have the sole power to drag the United States into another war – intentionally or by sheer recklessness, in Iran or elsewhere, and especially when negotiators are still at the table.

Congress must have a voice. The American people must have a voice.

It’s crucial we make clear that the overwhelming majority of Americans – 85% according to a YouGov poll – do not want another war of choice in the Middle East.

We need leaders who will choose strategy over spectacle. Who play the long game, rather than the 24-hour news cycle.

Friends: Will you read, sign and share our Senate petition?
Tell Congress: Take Back Your War Powers
✍️ Add your name here ✍️

Thank you, sincerely, for your support.

Hannah Morris
Director of Government Affairs, J Street

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J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy
Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the
Jewish people. Working in American politics and the Jewish community, we
advocate policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish
and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



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