To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Stop Trump's war making in Venezuela!
Congress holds the power to declare war. Not Donald Trump. If Trump decides to invade Venezuela or use military force, you must refuse to provide military authorization or ability to increase troops in surrounding countries. No blank checks for Trump's war.
Why is this important?
Let's be clear: Only Congress can declare war.
And, under an administration being run by war hawks like John Bolton, that authority is even more important. Donald Trump can't go to war without asking for permission from Congress. And when he does ask, Congress must categorically refuse.
After recognizing an opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as the president of Venezuela, the Trump administration has said that "all options" are on the table.
John Bolton, a know war hawk and Trump's National Security Advisor, was also caught on camera with a note that read "5,000 troops to Colombia," which is a country neighboring Venezuela.
The Trump administration's actions are seeming more and more like a dangerous ploy for regime change and military intervention that we've already seen before. In Iraq, the attempt to bring "democracy" and find non-existent WMDs has led to rough estimates of hundreds of thousands of civilians killed.
As people are trying to estimate the true cost––in lives and money––of the past 17 years of war, there are people in the Trump administration pushing the country toward more wars.
If Trump truly cared about the people of Venezuela, along with other Latin and South American countries, he would be easing the pathway to getting asylum and decreasing sanctions. Instead, his administration seems to be creating more harsh environments through sanctions that would detrimentally impact the economy of the country and getting ready to deploy troops.
It's up to us to take a bold stand and make sure Congress doesn't relinquish its powers and that Trump doesn't overstep to invade Venezuela. We can't repeat past mistakes and allow the U.S. military to invade and occupy yet another country.
And, under an administration being run by war hawks like John Bolton, that authority is even more important. Donald Trump can't go to war without asking for permission from Congress. And when he does ask, Congress must categorically refuse.
After recognizing an opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as the president of Venezuela, the Trump administration has said that "all options" are on the table.
John Bolton, a know war hawk and Trump's National Security Advisor, was also caught on camera with a note that read "5,000 troops to Colombia," which is a country neighboring Venezuela.
The Trump administration's actions are seeming more and more like a dangerous ploy for regime change and military intervention that we've already seen before. In Iraq, the attempt to bring "democracy" and find non-existent WMDs has led to rough estimates of hundreds of thousands of civilians killed.
As people are trying to estimate the true cost––in lives and money––of the past 17 years of war, there are people in the Trump administration pushing the country toward more wars.
If Trump truly cared about the people of Venezuela, along with other Latin and South American countries, he would be easing the pathway to getting asylum and decreasing sanctions. Instead, his administration seems to be creating more harsh environments through sanctions that would detrimentally impact the economy of the country and getting ready to deploy troops.
It's up to us to take a bold stand and make sure Congress doesn't relinquish its powers and that Trump doesn't overstep to invade Venezuela. We can't repeat past mistakes and allow the U.S. military to invade and occupy yet another country.