House members, led by anti-war heroes Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), signed an open letter to President Bush promising to appropriate additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq only for the protection and safe redeployment of our troops before Bush leaves office. Has your Representative signed?  You can support their effort by asking your Representative to sign and by signing the Pedge for Peace petition.

Congressis now back in session and facing the FY2008 Iraq appropriation showdown. After the 2007 Iraq supplemental appropriation, Congress’ failure to set any meaningful limitations on Bush’s war is still apainful memory for progressives.

In July, 70 House Members led by anti-war heroes Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) signed a letter to President Bush that begins:

“We are writing to inform you that we will only support appropriating additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq during Fiscal Year 2008 and beyond for the protection and safe redeployment of all our troops out of Iraq before you leave office.”

Take Action
Ask your representative to sign on or thank him/her for signing. The list keeps changing, so when you call, ask if he or she has signed on first.

NYC Reps who have signed
Anthony Weiner (agreed to sign)
Yvette Clarke
Charles Rangel
Jerrold Nadler
Edolphus Towns
Nydia Velazquez
Carolyn Maloney
Greg Meeks (agreed to sign)

NYC Reps who have NOT signed
Gary Ackerman
Elliot Engel
Jose E. Serrano (considering)
Joseph Crowley
Vito Fossella

Visit our Contact Your Representative page for contact infomration. 

Many Congressmembers have signed the letter, and progressive groups have been asking citizens to support the efforts of these Representatives bysigning the Pledge for Peace petition and urging our Representatives tosign the letter.

There is some good news from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “[Reid] said he will call for a vote this month on several anti-war proposals, including one by Sen. Carl Levin that would insist President Bush end U.S. combat next summer. The proposals would be mandatory and not leaveBush wiggle room, said Reid.” But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not made a similar declaration.

359 Congress members have still not signed on, including all but one Republican, Ron Paul, and these members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus: Rep. Becerra (CA), Bordallo, Brady (PA), Capuano(MA), DeFazio (OR), DeLauro (CT), Farr (CA), E.B. Johnson (TX),Tubbs-Jones (OH), Kilpatrick (MI), Kucinich (OH), Loebsack (IA),Serrano (NY), Slaughter (NY), Tierney (MA), Udall (NM), and Waxman (CA). It is especially important for voters in these districts to contact your representatives now.

Recently, 9 more Members added their names to the letter,bringing the total to 79! This letter does not bar its signers from pushing for an earlier deadline, but it does commit them to vote against any bill that funds the occupation without a deadline of January 2009. If even more names can be added to this letter, the Progressive Caucus will give Speaker Pelosi the backbone she needs toend the war.

Please ask your Congress member and Senators to make the commitment:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/115 or http://pdamerica.org/petition/pledge-for-peace.php

Please urge Speaker Pelosi herself to support the Peace Pledge:
http://tinyurl.com/ypyyzg

Update: There is an ever-growing list of signers. Do not assume your Congressmember has not agreed to sign on.  Ask first, and then thank them if they say they have signed on.

Signers: Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Diane Watson(D-CA), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Barney Frank (D-MA), Danny Davis (D-IL), John Conyers (D-MI), John Hall (D-NY), Bob Filner (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez(D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Ed Towns (D-NY), PaulHodes (D-NH), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Albert Wynn (D-MD), Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), G. K.Butterfield (D-NC), Hilda Solis (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), JerroldNadler (D-NY), Michael Honda (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Phil Hare(D-IL), Grace Flores Napolitano (D-CA), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), James McGovern (D-MA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Julia Carson (D-IN), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), John Olver(D-MA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Ed Markey(D-MA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Rubin Hinojosa(D-TX), Pete Stark (D-CA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Artur Davis (D-AL), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Donald Payne(D-NJ), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), John Lewis (D-GA), Yvette Clarke(D-NY), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Keith Ellison(D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Donna Christensen (D-USVI), David Scott(D-GA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Lois Capps (D-CA), Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Ron Paul (R-TX), Mel Watt (D-NC), Corinne Brown (D-FL), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL) have pledged to sign the letter.

Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Tom Lantos (D-CA) have requested the text of the letter following their constituent visits.

New signers include: Gregory Meeks (NY-6th), Anthony Weiner (NY- 9th), Jesse Jackson, Jr(IL-2), Chris Murphy (CT-5), Melvin Watt (NC-12), Corrine Brown(FL-3rd), Bennie Thompson (MS-2nd), Reps. Loebsack (IA-2) and Kucinich(OH-10).

Rep. Serrano’s COS and Legislative Aide on Foreign Policy are "taking a look at the letter and giving it strong consideration" so it could definitely help for his office to hear from more constituents on this. Note: all of the above new signers are not "set in stone" until the letter actually goes out again at the end of September with their names on it, so for Weiner and Meeks—it helps for constituents to contact and thank their Congressperson for becoming a new signer on the letter. Will keep them from getting cold feet at the last minute.

DFNYC will update this page as more information becomes available.