22Apr
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, the Senate voted on a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to block Donald Trump’s unauthorized military strikes off the coast of Latin America. This vote should have been a major step in reining in executive overreach and defending the Constitution from yet another reckless attempt to manufacture war for political gain. Unfortunately, not enough of America’s elected leaders had the courage to vote for its approval.
Common Defense, the nation’s largest grassroots organization of progressive veterans, applauds the bipartisan coalition of Senators who brought this vote forward as a step in the right direction for democracy, diplomacy, and the rule of law.
Jose Vasquez, Executive Director of Common Defense, released the following statement:
“Donald Trump has once again stoked chaos abroad, this time by escalating strikes off the Latin American coast. The failure by the Senate to block his unauthorized military actions is a disservice to the rule of law. Let me be clear, he’s not protecting Americans by bombing boats in international waters. While the Trump administration has used the opioid crisis as a pretext for military action, veterans and the American people see exactly what this is, an effort to drag us into another forever war. This vote, while it didn’t pass, should send a message: in our democracy, no president should have the power to start a war on his own.”
###
Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.