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A coalition of faith-based groups has issued a letter imploring members of Congress to oppose pumping billions of additional dollars into the war with Iran.
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. (Photo by Bernd Dittrich via Unsplash)
The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is among more than 60 groups that signed onto the March 17 letter, citing multiple reasons to reject additional funding for the war.
“As faith organizations, we are called to be peacemakers and we cannot support investment in a war of aggression that is both illegal and reckless,” the letter states. “Instead of investing billions in more bombs, we urge you to take action to immediately end this war which puts innocent people, both Iranian civilians and U.S. service members, in harm’s way. We affirm a preference for diplomacy and support the allocation of resources to assist the staggering numbers of displaced people who are the victims of the war.”
The letter — signed by groups such as the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Church World Service, the Franciscan Action Network and the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society — states that the appropriations bill could provide $50 billion or more to support the war. However, the specific amount is uncertain. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon has asked the White House to support a more than $200 billion request to Congress for Iran war funding. The article, based on anonymous sources familiar with the matter, said the money would be used “to urgently increase production of critical weaponry expended as U.S. and Israeli forces have struck thousands of targets over the past three weeks.”
The letter from the faith groups notes that there already have been too many lives lost, including more than 1,200 Iranians and more than 170 children. The number of U.S. military personnel impacted includes at least 13 dead and about 200 injured, according to USA Today.
Approval of additional funding might be seen as “implicit congressional authorization” of the war, according to the faith groups, who note the futility of past conflicts, such as those in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
“We know that regime change wars do not bring peace and stability,” the letter states. “They do not lead to disarmament. They do not protect human rights. They do not result in democracy. There is no reason to think that this war will be different.”
The letter is one of two opposition letters that the Office of Public Witness has signed recently out of a desire for peace and to block additional funds for the war.
An earlier letter with groups like Public Citizen, the ACLU, MoveOn, and Win Without War was first released to Congress March 12, then recently re-opened.
That letter, signed by more than 250 groups, asked members of Congress to vote against additional funding for the war, noting, “By launching a war against Iran, Trump has violated the Constitution, defied international law, flouted the will of the American people, and has put millions of lives across the region at risk.”
That letter also notes that additional funding could be put to better use, such as providing universal pre-K education or restoring food assistance to millions of Americans.
The letter adds, “Congress must not allow the illegal commencement of hostilities to force a de facto decision to prioritize war-making over other needs.”
By Darla Carter, Presbyterian News Service
