The checks and balances that underpin our democracy are wildly out of whack. You know it, and we know it. Luckily, Reps. McGovern (D-MA) and Mace (R-SC) have just re-introduced the
National Security Reforms & Accountability Act (NSRAA) to recalibrate the broken "separation of powers" by:
- Limiting the president's unilateral power to go to war, ending blank-check authorizations, and creatively define what constitutes "hostilities."
- Requiring congressional approval over billions of dollars in U.S. weapons sales, potentially ending the pattern of selling bombs to human rights abusers, like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, India, and Egypt.
- Reeling in presidential abuse of "emergency powers," and ending invented crises like Trump's fake border emergency, which he used to siphon funds for his racist wall.
This can't happen fast enough. We need to get our house in order now, before it's too late. White House after White House, the list of unilateral decisions that underpin a war-first foreign policy has only grown: George Bush Sr.'s interventions in Panama and Somalia, Obama's airstrikes in Yemen and Libya, Trump's assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, Biden's bombings in Syria and Iraq.
All of these actions — taken without explicit congressional approval — illustrate the expansion of presidential authority in matters of war and peace. It's time for a reset and the NSRAA is how we get there.
Your voice has a critical role to play. Join us to safeguard our democracy and restore the balance of power! Tell the House to pass the NSRAA! To Members of the 118th House of Representatives:
Nowhere is Congress — as the voice of the people — more important than when it comes to issues of war and peace. I urge you to pass the National Security Reforms & Accountability Act (H.R. 4928) to reset the checks and balances around these crucial decisions.
Sincerely,
[Name]
