President Obama sent language to Congress on Wednesday seeking an Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) for military action against ISIS, which seeks Congressional approval for war in the Middle East for the next three years. National Priorities Project, a non-partisan and non-profit research group that tracks federal and military spending, urges Congress to evaluate carefully the very real financial and human costs of continued conflict in the Middle East, for the following reasons: Our nation has been engaged in military action against ISIS since June 2014, at the cost of $312,500 per hour to American taxpayers. In just the past eight months, we have spent more than $1.8 billion on military force in the Middle East, without Congressional authority or full debate by lawmakers about the costs of continued war in the region. We are concerned about the implications for American taxpayers and our federal budget if the United States engages in renewed and expanded military action in the Middle East. Over the last 14 years, our nation has spent more than $1.6 trillion on war in Iraq and Afghanistan – plus countless more in the human cost and long-term investment necessary to care for veterans who return from a grueling conflict. With our federal budget still burdened by these seemingly endless wars, and many pressing social and economic needs at home, now is not the time to sink trillions more into an endless war overseas, especially when polling shows Americans would like to invest in domestic priorities. While the proposed AUMF is limited to three years of military action, it leaves in place the broad and open-ended 2001 AUMF that authorized the use of force in Afghanistan, and under the president has justified current action against ISIS. This raises the question of whether the new AUMF in fact leaves open a very real possibility of a new open-ended war, with a price tag to match. Ultimately, American taxpayers deserve to know whether ongoing and increased investment in war will actually reduce the threat of terrorism against our country. With compelling evidence that each round of war fuels subsequent wars and terrorist outbursts, there lie deeper questions about whether the trillions of dollars spent on military force only serve to foment more unrest. Lawmakers must carefully consider not only short-term action, but also longer-term consequences before prioritizing military action over other means of influence toward peace and security. As Congress debates the president’s proposed AUMF, the American people must also weigh in on the continued financial and human costs of war. Tell Congress: Negotiations about a new AUMF must include evaluation of the cost of war.

Let's help this country defend themselves against Russia.

People should be concerned when any member of congress attempts to manipulate the delicate balance of US foreign relations to further a personal agenda. Doing so in complete disregard for the impairment it may cause to the US government's ability to conduct foreign policy is reprehensible.

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain have dishonored the people of the United States by their support of the fascist government in the Ukraine. Any military assistance to the anti-Semitic, anti-worker government in the Ukraine would be an act of provocation towards Russia. Working people do not need a war with Russia which without doubt would be catastrophic to Europe and the United States at the very least. We must not forget that we can all be cremated equally!

Rather than perpetually being in war against an enemy that seems impossible to defeat, why isn't the US Government using its economic & diplomatic strength to cut the flow of money & arms to "Islamic terror" organizations? Almost all these organizations seem to have a history of getting support from the US Government or governments allied with the United States.

Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party, has accepted on the behalf of Republican Congressmen, an invitation for hundreds of Republican congressmen and senators for a paid trip to Israel. The group opposes religious freedom for any but Christians, and demands that Jews renounce their religion in order to immigrate to the US.

I am tired of biggots in our Congress and them getting nothing done. I am not a black person but I can even tell it's because our President is black that they hate him so much. We need to fight back or KKK will be back in power.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner has scheduled an address to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu two weeks before the Israeli election, without consulting the White House or the House Democratic leadership. Netanyahu and Boehner have said that the purpose of the talk is to attack President Obama’s diplomatic engagement with Iran and try to blow up the talks. The White House has said that President Obama and Administration officials will not meet with Netanyahu. Urge Democratic Members of Congress not to attend Netanyahu's speech by signing our petition. UPDATES: So far, 36 Democrats have said that they won't attend the speech: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/democrats-skipping-netanyahu_b_6770734.html

Senator Nelson must hear from his constituents who support negotiations over sabotaging them, increasing the prospect of another Middle East war. Republicans have indicated they would soon move a bill drafted by Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) that would provide a set of tough sanctions against the Iranian economy. Too many Democrats agree. The White House worries such a provocative move could prompt Iran to back out of a sweeping nuclear deal with the U.S. and other world powers before a June 30 deadline.

We must give the President a chance at a diplomatic agreement with Iran about its nuclear program. Neocons in Congress, such as most Republicans and many Democrats, would rather scuttle diplomacy and go to war with Iran to enact regime change. That would be a disaster and yet another war/quagmire costing many lives. Democrats and Republicans who support negotiations should walk out on Mr. Netanyahu before he makes his pitch for aggression against Iran.

Syriza’s victory in Greece’s elections marks a historic turning point for countries attempting to emerge from sluggish economic growth and high unemployment. [1] Syriza has promised to enact alternatives to austerity policies European authorities have imposed on Greece, which have left Greece with extremely high unemployment similar to the U.S. Great Depression, currently at 25.5%, with youth unemployment at 49.6%. [2] The IMF projects Greek unemployment will still be at nearly 16% in 2018, and almost all of their projections since 2010 have been over-optimistic. Greek voters have rejected prolonged mass unemployment and elected a government with a mandate to negotiate a better deal. A government willing to stand up to the European authorities can help Europe move away from economic policies that have been a miserable failure. Syriza has vowed to enact a stimulus, including through boosting public investment; to seek renegotiation of Greece’s debt; to clamp down on tax evasion; and to take advantage of the new quantitative easing program announced by the European Central Bank last week. The party has opposed plans to cut salaries and pensions of public employees even further. [3.] The amounts of money needed to guarantee a robust Greek recovery are extremely small for the European authorities, especially given the size of the ECB’s announced 60 billion euro per month QE. [4.] U.S. officials will have significant influence on European leaders as they formulate their response to the election, both directly and indirectly through U.S. leadership of the IMF. Urge U.S. officials to press European leaders to respect and compromise with the anti-austerity will of the Greek electorate by signing our petition. References: 1. “Syriza Victory in Greece Could Be a ‘Historic Turning Point’ for Eurozone Economic Policy, CEPR Co-Director Says,” Center for Economic and Policy Research, January 25, 2015, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/syriza-victory-in-greece-could-be-a-historic-turning-point-for-eurozone-economic-policy-cepr-co-director-says 2. “The Greek Economy: Which Way Forward?” Mark Weisbrot, David Rosnick and Stephan Lefebvre, Center for Economic and Policy Research, January 2015, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-greek-economy-which-way-forward 3. “End austerity before fear kills Greek democracy,” Alexis Tsipras, Financial Times, January 20, 2015, http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/da236d24-9ff9-11e4-9a74-00144feab7de.html 4. “The Greek Economy: Which Way Forward?” Mark Weisbrot, David Rosnick and Stephan Lefebvre, Center for Economic and Policy Research, January 2015, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-greek-economy-which-way-forward

John Boehner acts as if he represents America. Nothing could be further from the truth.