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peace action
Peace Action Statement on illegal US attack on Venezuela
Jan 03, 2026
Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund, issued the following statement today:
“The United States’ military special forces attack on Venezuela and abduction of its president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, is illegal, immoral, dangerous, and must be condemned and repudiated by the American public, the international community, and the US Congress.
While no one should shed a tear for Maduro, who is credibly depicted as a corrupt, authoritarian leader, concern for the people of Venezuela, already suffering under terrible economic conditions, must be in the forefront, as the possibility of internal conflict is now increased. Bogus assertions that Venezuela stole US oil raise suspicions this is not about narcotics trafficking, but rather seizing resources such as oil and minerals. Moreover, other countries in the region are surely on high alert that they might be next in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs, and US forces deployed worldwide could be targeted for reprisals.
Trump just announced, ‘…we are going to run the country, until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.’
No one voted for that, nor has Congress authorized it on behalf of the American people.
In less than a year in office, Trump has now attacked seven countries -- Somalia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and Venezuela, along with alleged drug boats at sea -- with at least 626 airstrikes, according to Military Times. So much for his being a peace president, or focusing on improving economic and social conditions for Americans.
Just two weeks ago, the House of Representatives narrowly failed to pass War Powers Resolutions against US attacks on Venezuela, along almost entirely partisan lines, with Republicans refusing to vote against their president and in favor of their own authority over declaring war. Earlier, the Senate also narrowly failed to uphold its constitutional responsibilities, but US Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated a few days ago he would bring another War Powers Resolution up for a vote as soon as next week, and that should proceed without delay.
The United States’ history of lawless imperialism in the Western Hemisphere and beyond cannot be overstated or discounted, and international condemnation of this episode will presumably be strong and sustained. It is up to Congress and the American public to rein in a lawless executive branch intent on concocting distractions from the Epstein Files, the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, and the miserably failed policies of the Trump Administration. Emergency demonstrations against this illegal action will be held today in many US cities, and various actions to protest this attack and other ongoing US military adventurism will be ongoing.”
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Peace Action Statement on last night’s 72-11 Senate vote to table Senator Sanders' resolution
Jan 17, 2024
Peace Action Executive Director Jon Rainwater issued the following statement after the Senate voted 72-11 to table Senator Sanders' resolution calling for a U.S. investigation into how U.S. arms are being used in Israel’s military campaign in Palestine.
“Anyone who cares deeply about human rights should be disappointed if not disgusted by the Senate’s vote tonight. This vote blocked a State Department investigation of how U.S. weapons are being used by Israel. Senator Sanders’ resolution should have been uncontroversial. It didn’t cut off a penny of aid. It simply asked that the U.S. find out how U.S. weapons are being used given the massive humanitarian catastrophe being caused by Israel’s war. Seventy-one senators stood up and said 'we don’t want to know.' They voted to keep their heads in the sand.
"Polls show that the majority of Americans want this brutal war to end. Congress is out of step with the voters and that’s not sustainable on such a high profile issue. We thank Senator Sanders and the ten senators who voted with him to start a needed Congressional debate over this war. That’s a critical first step in pushing Congress to do the job it is supposed to do: ensure that taxpayer funds are not being used in human rights violations. The pro-peace public must now continue the fight until this brutal war and the resulting killing, displacement, and dispossession of Palestinian civilians ends.”
Peace Activists and Elected Officials to Hold Emergency International Rally for Peace in Ukraine
Feb 24, 2022
What: Emergency Online Rally: No War in Ukraine
When: Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 12:00 PM EST
Where: Zoom and YouTube
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the conflict has escalated to all-out war and could further escalate to a war between the world's two largest nuclear powers: Russia and the United States. In response to the crisis, a coalition of European and American peace groups -- CODEPINK, Stop the War Coalition, No to NATO Network and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament -- are organizing an emergency online discussion and rally.
Hosted by Medea Benjamin (CODEPINK) and Kate Hudson (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), this hour-long event will feature elected officials, intellectuals, journalists and peace activists from both sides of the Atlantic.
Speakers include:
Jeremy Corbyn, UK Member of Parliament
Daniele Obono, Member of the French National Assembly
Sevim Dagdelen, Member of the German Bundestag, Committee on Foreign Affairs
Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
Lindsey German, UK Stop the War Coalition
Nora Garcia, Madrid Anti-NATO Peace Summit
Nina Potarska, Ukraine section of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Ludo de Brabander, Belgium Vrede and No to Nato Coalition
Nadezhda Azhgihina, Russian journalist, US-Russia Women's Call for Peace
Register here: https://bit.ly/feb26ukraine
"We must come together across borders to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops and immediate talks to find a diplomatic solution," says Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CODEPINK. "We call for a return to the Minsk agreement and assurances that Ukraine will not become part of NATO."
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House Fails to Cut Pentagon Bloat
In response to today's House votes on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act to reduce the Pentagon budget by 10% and another to reduce by $25 billion, Peace Action released the following statement:
Sep 23, 2021
In response to today's House votes on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act to reduce the Pentagon budget by 10% and another to reduce by $25 billion, Peace Action released the following statement:
"Congress and the White House still needs to catch up with the will and needs of the electorate, where over half want to see reductions in the bloated Pentagon to pay for other priorities. The main threats to America's security have no military solution. Right now, Congress must prioritize our spending on helping Americans dealing with COVID, looking for sustainable jobs and other Main Street issues. The pandemic clearly shows that expensive endless wars that cost over $6 trillion from taxpayers make Americans less safe," stated Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action.
"We thank Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Nadler, Torres, Espaillat and other New York Representatives for cosponsoring and supporting a 10% cut to the Pentagon budget. This is an issue we and many others across the state have been working on for years, and now more than ever, we need to re-evaluate our budget priorities and move the money out of the Pentagon and into our communities to address the real security threats of our time: the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, climate catastrophe and ever-increasing inequality," added Emily Rubino, Executive Director, Peace Action New York State.
"These amendments, led by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) and Mark Pocan (D-WI-2) provided a perfect opportunity to free up $75 billion that could go into critical voter needs like healthcare, affordable housing, education and local infrastructure," Martin continued. "Unfortunately, a majority of Representatives chose to continue maximally funding Pentagon largesse despite its demonstrated irresponsibility with taxpayer dollars. As the only Government agency that cannot pass an audit, the Pentagon has returned over $80 billion in funds it failed to spend since 2013 and over half of the Pentagon's total budget goes straight into the pockets of war contractors.
"The passage of the overfunded National Defense Authorization Act today by the House fails to reflect the values of Americans who oppose the Pentagon eating over half the United States' discretionary budget. I hope that Senators support a similar 10% reduction when they take up their bill in the coming weeks."
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