US Congress

Congress Must Prevent Nuclear War

December 4, 2024 Scott Ritter, Consortium News. Resist! NATO, Nuclear War, Russia, US Congress, Wars and Militarism

Congress can be somewhat intimidating to the uninitiated—a literal shining house on a hill, where the empowered elite gather in chambers to debate the finer points of issues that impact our daily lives. What is sometimes overlooked by the average citizen is that the vehicle of empowerment that allows these anointed lawmakers to take their seats in these chambers is themselves — every two years these representatives of the people must stand muster before their respective constituents and convince enough of them to cast a vote in their favor.

The Geopolitical Dimensions Of The US BOLIVAR Act

November 30, 2024 Misión Verdad, Orinoco Tribune. Educate! Bolivar Act, Cuba, Latin America, Multipolar World, Sanctions, US Congress, US Imperialism, Venezuela

Awaiting approval by the US Senate, the bipartisan bill titled “Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime Act,” known by its forced acronym “BOLIVAR Act,” represents a milestone in the institutionalization of illegal sanctions against Venezuela. This law aims to—under a legislative and bipartisan framework—perpetuating the executive orders that have operated as the core of the economic and financial coercion policy against Venezuela over the past ten years. Within the law, the definition of the term “person” as a legal object establishes an expansion of the scope of sanctions, covering everything from individuals and private entities to governmental bodies and their extensions, thereby creating a vast catalog of potential targets on an international scale.

US Leaves Hurricane Helene Survivors Behind While Funding Israel’s War

October 4, 2024 People's Dispatch. Educate! climate crisis, Hurricane Helene, Israel, United States, US Aid To Israel, US Congress, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

At least 204 people are dead as a result of Hurricane Helene, which has devastated some of the more impoverished regions of the United States. Hundreds are still missing as survivors lose hope of finding their loved ones. Despite the unprecedented level of devastation, the federal money to deal with disaster relief appears to have run out. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on October 2 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not have enough money to make it through hurricane season. Thanks to the efforts of conservative lawmakers, a recently passed funding bill did not allocate additional funds to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) despite knowing that the agency’s funds had run low before the peak of hurricane season.

For The First Time, Congress Will Vote On Blocking Weapons To Israel

October 3, 2024 Michael Arria, Mondoweiss. Resist! Bernie Sanders, Israel, Palestine, Uncommitted Votes, US Congress, Weapons Embargo

Last week Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced that he had introduced legislation to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel. The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval would prevent the delivery of offensive weapons that the State Department approved in August, just days before ceasefire talks were set to resume. The package includes fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles. “Sadly, and illegally, much of the carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment,” said Sanders in a statement. “Providing more offensive weapons to continue this disastrous war would violate U.S. and international law.

Congress Failed To Allocate Relief Funding Ahead Of Hurricane Helene

October 1, 2024 Natalia Marques, People's Dispatch. Educate! Climate Change, Cuba, disaster relief, FEMA, Hurricane Helene, Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, US Congress, US South

The US South is contending with the trail of destruction left by Hurricane Helene, which devastated the region over the past few days, including the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, across the Central Gulf Coast and reaching into the southern Appalachian region. The extent of damage is only beginning to be revealed as the death toll climbs to at least 130 people, with hundreds more still missing. Some of the most impoverished areas of the US are now having to contend with what could amount to between USD 145 billion and USD 160 billion in damages and economic loss according to AccuWeather. Over one million people are still without power.

Cold War II: US Congress Passes 25 Anti-China Laws In One Week

September 22, 2024 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. Resistance Report China, House of Representatives, Media, New Cold War, Propaganda, US Congress

The US House of Representatives approved 25 anti-China laws in just one week in September: a clear sign that Washington’s new cold war is quickly heating up. The hawkish House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party proudly described these days as “China Week”, boasting that much of the legislation had “overwhelming bipartisan” support. NBC News noted that “many of the measures passed with bipartisan support at a time when viewing [China] primarily as a geopolitical rival is one of the few issues both Republicans and Democrats can agree on”. Cold War Two fervor is reaching fever pitch in the United States. CIA Director William Burns has referred to China as the “bigge[st] long-term threat”. The last two US secretaries of state, Democrat Antony Blinken and Republican Mike Pompeo, gave speeches specifically dedicated to demonizing China.

US Congress Warns: If ICC Tries Israeli Officials, ‘America Will Be Next’

May 28, 2024 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy. Educate! House of Representatives, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Lindsey Graham, Mike Johnson, Palestine, US Congress, War crimes

The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said Congress plans to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). He warned that, if the ICC prosecutes Israeli officials, “we know that America will be next”. This came after ICC chief Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Republican Representative Johnson, the most powerful person in the House, blasted the ICC in a press conference on May 23. “America should punish the ICC and put Karim Khan back in his place”, he insisted.

Wanted By International Criminal Court, Netanyahu To Address Congress

May 26, 2024 News Desk, The Cradle. Educate! Benjamin Netanyahu, Congress, Crimes against humanity, France, Genocide, Germany, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, The Hague, US Congress, War crimes

Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said on 23 May that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon address a joint meeting of the Congress. “Tonight, I’m happy to announce ... we will soon be hosting Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress,” Johnson said during a speech at an Israeli embassy event. Johnson said during the speech that Netanyahu’s upcoming address will be “a strong show of support for the Israeli government in their time of greatest need.” The announcement comes as officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden have made increasingly critical comments on Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

Blinken Again Bypasses US Congress To Send Munitions To Israel

December 31, 2023 News Desk, The Cradle. Educate! Anthony Blinken, Genocide, Israel, Palestine, US Congress, Wars and Militarism, weapons

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken used emergency authority to approve the sale of $147.5 million of 155 mm artillery shells to Israel on 30 December, bypassing the standard congressional review for arms sales for the second time since the start of the war on Gaza. A State Department spokesman said on Friday that “given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer.” Earlier this month, Blinken used the same emergency process to approve the sale of 14,000 tank shells, worth more than $106 million, to Israel.

Support For A Ceasefire Grows In US Congress

November 22, 2023 People's Dispatch. Resist! Apartheid, Ceasefire, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Party, Gaza, Israel, Joe Biden, Palestine, US Congress

Within the halls of the United States Congress, Israel’s biggest ally, support for a ceasefire in Gaza is growing. Biden himself has openly refused multiple times to call for a ceasefire, and such calls remain unpopular with the majority of Congress members. On October 16, progressive Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib introduced a resolution “calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.” While the resolution initially had 13 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, the number of co-sponsors have since increased to 18, including Representatives Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Pramila Jayapal.

Reject Bill For Forced Displacement Of Palestinians To Third Countries

October 31, 2023 Democracy for the Arab World Now. Resist! Apartheid, Biden administration, Ethnic cleansing, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, US Congress, Wars and Militarism

The United States should oppose any Israeli actions that could result in the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, said Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). The group urged Congress to reject a supplementary funding bill that proposes funding humanitarian aid to Palestinians who have been displaced from Gaza to neighboring countries. Israeli actions, statements, and policy directives, including a leaked policy document drafted by the Israeli intelligence ministry that recommends the permanent forced transfer of Palestinians in Gaza to Sinai, indicate that Israel is actively considering forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza to third countries.

Seven Members Of Congress Take A Stand For Assange

April 17, 2023 Cody Bloomfield, Defending Rights and Dissent. Educate! Joe Biden, Julian Assange, Press Freedom, US Congress

April 11 - Four years ago today, six men dragged Julian Assange out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London into a van, where he was carted off to Belmarsh Prison, where he remains, fighting extradition to the U.S. On April 11, 2019, after seven years holed up in the embassy, Ecuador rescinded Assange’s citizenship and turned him over to British authorities. The final extrication from the embassy followed years of CIA plotting against Assange, going so far as to draw up “options” for how to assassinate him and contracting with the security company charged with surveilling the Ecuadorian embassy. The date marks nearly eleven years of persecution of Assange.

US Funneled Billions To Ukraine While Cutting Health And Education

February 26, 2023 People's Dispatch. Educate! Education, Health Care, Joe Biden, Medicare, Russia, Student Loans, Ukraine, US Congress, US Imperialism

February 24 marks the one-year anniversary of the Russia–Ukraine war, and in the past year, the US Congress has approved $113 billion in aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, working people in the US are in dire economic straits, and desperately need relief from their government. When US President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union Address in early February, over 160 million people—almost half of the nation’s population—reported having trouble paying weekly expenses. The cost of living had jumped by 8% while wages had only increased by 4% in the past year.

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