The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on members of Congress to co-sponsor and support a new bipartisan War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Co-led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) that would prohibit U.S. Armed Forces from engaging in unauthorized hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
SEE: Reps. Massie, Khanna Introduce Bipartisan War Powers Resolution to Prohibit Involvement in Iran
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION NOW: Urge Your Representatives to Support Bipartisan Resolution to Block Unauthorized U.S. Military Action Against Iran
The privileged resolution reasserts Congress’s sole constitutional authority to declare war and would prevent the executive branch from unilaterally launching military action against Iran without congressional approval. War Powers Resolutions, once introduced, must be brought to the House floor for a vote within 15 calendar days, even without committee action.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Urge your Senator to support S.J.Res.6
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Senator Kaine’s Resolution Forbidding Unauthorized U.S. War on Iran
“The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” said Rep. Massie. “The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”
“The American people do not want to be dragged into another disastrous conflict in the Middle East,” said Rep. Khanna. “No president should be able to bypass Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war.”
Original cosponsors of the House resolution include Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Greg Casar (D-TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Summer Lee (D-PA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY).
CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“This resolution represents a rare and critical moment of bipartisan and bicameral agreement. Members of both the House and Senate—from Rep. Massie and Rep. Khanna to Senator Tim Kaine—are standing together to reassert Congress’s constitutional authority over war. The American people do not want to be dragged into another endless and unauthorized war in the Middle East. These wars cost innocent lives, destabilize entire regions, and waste billions in taxpayer dollars that should be spent on urgent needs here at home. President Trump must stop intervening militarily and stop aiding Israel’s escalation toward war with Iran. It’s time to respect the Constitution, listen to the will of the people, and put an end to the reckless path to conflict.”
SEE FULL TEXT OF THE RESOULTION
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com