More on supplemental fight from UFPJ - This ain't over: important update on supplemental fight!
Ira Harritt
Thanks to all who contacted their Congressperson. Through your efforts and those of thousands of others across the country The U.S. House of Representative on May 15th voted down funding of the Iraq occupation.
While this is an achievement for the peace movement the war and occupation continues and the fight is far from over. See the update on the supplemental below. What is likely to happen next is that the Senate will take up war funding today or later this week; then the bill will go to a House / Senate conference committee and then back to the House and Senate.
We need you to call your Senators today and again over the next week and urge them to vote against funding of the Iraq war and only funds for a comprehensive plan that incvludes direct diplomatic engagement and a withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Call your Senators at the Capitol Hill Switchboard 202-224-3121 or their local offices:
Missouri
Sen. Christopher S. Bond (R)
Local Office Phone 816/471-7141 kit_...@bond.senate.gov
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D)
Local Office Phone 816/421-1639 mccaskill...@mccaskill.senate.gov
Kansas
Sen. Pat Roberts (R)
Local Office Phone 913/451-9343 pat_r...@roberts.senate.gov
Sen. Sam Brownback (R)
Local Office Phone 913/492-6378 sam_br...@brownback.senate.gov
For more information to United for Peace and Justice at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3893%20 or Friends Committee on Legislation http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/.
Thanks for all of your work for justice and peace. contact us to find out how you can help with local peace education and advocacy campaigns.
sincerely,
Ira Harritt
Co-Chair KC Iraq Task Force
KC Program Coordinator KC AFSC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 6:20 PM
To: ufpj-leg...@lists.mayfirst.org; ufpj-c...@lists.mayfirst.org; ufpj-le...@lists.mayfirst.org; uf...@lists.mayfirst.org
Subject: [Ufpj-legislative] This ain't over: important update on supplemental fight!
To: UFPJ member groups and Legislative Action Network
From: UFPJ Leg. Working Group Conveners
Yesterday, when the House voted against additional funding for the war and occupation of Iraq, they handed us an opportunity. Over the next several days we need to make the most of this opportunity, and our efforts will have an impact on the debate and vote when this goes to the Senate. But we have to act fast: the Senate could vote as soon as Tuesday, May 20. We encourage your group(s) to do what you can to pressure your Senators to vote NO on any funding that will continue the war and occupation:
1. Your Senators. They have to hear from their constituents! Visit, sit-in, vigil, deliver a singing telegram. Go to their offices, any public events they will be at, their homes. Last December, only 25 Senators voted against the $70 billion for Iraq -- find out how your Senator voted here -- let's work to make that number much larger this time.
2. Media work. We have to get our message out through the media. Do what you can -- a press release giving your local media your point of view, a press conference, calls to radio talk-shows, whatever else you can do. We have developed a template for a press release that you can put out in your city or town. <http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/PressReleaseTemplate.doc> Here is a good resource for local press contacts: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/
Details on the Senate bill:
The plan in the Senate is similar to the plan in the House: 3 separate amendments to be voted on separately.
1. $169 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer of next year.
2. More than $25 billion in new domestic spending.
3. A measure that sets a goal for the president to transition troops out of a military role in Iraq by June 2009, and includes troop readiness standards.
UFPJ as a coalition is focusing our advocacy efforts on the $169 Billion funding amendment. We are not taking a position on the two other amendments -- although individual member groups may.
What lies ahead:
At each step of the way, we have an opportunity to raise our voices. If we loose one round, we can come back and score a victory in the next. We were very strong in round #1, when the House voted. We heard from Congressional staff that phones were ringing off the hook. Although the targets will change, and the funding bill will keep getting re-written, our message will be: Vote NO on any money to continue the war and occupation of Iraq!! Here are the next steps:
Step #2: Senate will vote as early as May 20 on the Iraq funding.
Step #3: After the Senate votes, most likely a Conference Committee made up of members of the House and Senate will reconcile the House-passed and Senate-passed versions of the bill. At this point our targets will be the conferees. This could happen as early as May 21!
Step #4: The compromise bill created by the conference committee will go to the House and the Senate for a vote. It is possible that this may happen before Congress breaks for Memorial Day recess (Friday, May 23).
Step #5: If both the House and the Senate pass the compromise bill, it will go to Bush. He has vowed to veto the bill if it contains any restrictions on his power to wage endless war, or if it includes any domestic spending that might actually help people in this country. If he does veto the bill then we will have to see what Congress does and so we may have to continue this effort.
--
Sue Udry