John —

Eighteen years ago today, President George W. Bush announced the first U.S-led airstrike on Iraq to the nation. The Iraq War had begun.

150,000 lives and trillions of dollars later, American soldiers are still in Iraq.

This war and the entire “War on Terror” rests on two Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that are decades old.

The Constitution expressly gives Congress the power to declare war. In 2001, President Bush asked Congress to pass an AUMF granting the president broad power to enter conflicts across the world.

It passed the House of Representatives 420-1. I was the only vote against it.

It was a lonely vote. I faced all kinds of death threats and immense public pressure for my opposition to handing President Bush a blank check.

The following year, he sought yet another AUMF to enter the Iraq War. There were more no votes this time, but it still passed Congress overwhelmingly. Two decades later, presidents have used the AUMFs to wage war unchecked by Congress — the branch of our government most directly responsible to the American people.

Now, President Biden has expressed his desire to fix this two decade-old blank check. I’m ready to work with him, but I need your support.

We have a huge opportunity to repeal the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs and end the era of forever wars. If you agree with me that now is the time to put military power back in the hands of Congress, sign your name today:

SIGN YOUR NAME [[link removed]]

I look forward to working with the Biden Administration to rein in unchecked war powers and stop endless wars once and for all.

Thanks for being part of our movement.

Barbara Lee

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Barbara Lee for Congress
333 HEGENBERGER ROAD
SUITE 369
OAKLAND, CA 94621
United States
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