WASHINGTON - April 28 - April was the second month in a row in which "brown bag" lunch vigils against war funding were held at congressional district offices in over 100 districts around the country. Organizations participating included: Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), CODEPINK, AfterDowningStreet, the Backbone Campaign, Democrats.com, the California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee, Healthcare Now, American Friends Service Committee and United for Peace and Justice.

Brown Bag Vigils have been held on the third Wednesday of each month since January. The next scheduled date is May 19th.

Brown-baggers are asking members of the House to publicly commit to voting No on any bills that fund wars, and to publicly urge their colleagues and the House leadership to make the same commitment. This position necessarily includes opposition to the proposed $33 billion supplemental expected in the coming weeks to fund an escalation of the war in Afghanistan. Congress members' commitments are tracked at http://defundwar.org.

PDA national director Tim Carpenter said "If congress members want to claim they oppose wars or support job creation, they have to vote against this $33 billion to escalate a war. And they know that we know that any smaller measures, such as aid to Haiti, can be passed separately if the war funding fails, and therefore there can be no excuses for voting yes to fund the escalation."

Complete information on past and upcoming Brown Bag Vigils is available online: http://tinyurl.com/brownbagvigil, including videos: http://youtube.com/pdamerica, and photos: http://flickr.com/photos/pdamerica.

Progressive Democrats of America was founded in 2004 to transform the Democratic Party and our country. We seek to build a party and government controlled by citizens, not corporate elites--with policies that serve the broad public interest, not just private interests. PDA is a grassroots PAC operating inside the Democratic Party, and outside in movements for peace and justice. Our inside/outside strategy is guided by the belief that a lasting majority will require a revitalized Democratic Party built on firm progressive principles.

For over two decades, the party declined as its leadership listened more to the voices of corporations than those of Americans. PDA strives to rebuild the Democratic Party from the bottom up--from every congressional district to statewide party structures to the corridors of power in Washington, where we work arm in arm with the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In just five years, PDA and its allies have shaken up the political status quo--on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Medicare for all, voter rights, accountability, and economic and environmental justice.