U.S. Representative, Mr. Gutierrez, Thank you for your vote against sending more weapons to Syria. I appreciate and will remember it (Roll Call # 509, Final Result on H J RES 124, making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2015, and for other purposes).
With you, Jim McDermott voted "No" truthfully saying: "This amendment, is valid only through early December, nothing more than faux authorization designed to get Congress through election season, it addresses only one aspect of the strategy the President outlined last week. That is not a responsible way to conduct public policy." Yesterday 9-18-14 he also said, "…to escalate military action against ISIS, he (POTUS) must present Congress with a plan and ask for our support. I am alarmed that President Obama continues to believe he can take action against ISIS on his own authority." Mr. McDermott spoke well and I trust that you, Mr. Gutierrez, will publicly make your own ringing condemnation of this ridiculous congressional Act. There is a deadline for this action that is the same as in Sec. 106: Unless otherwise provided for in this joint resolution or in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015, appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this joint resolution shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) the enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution; (2) the enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015 without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) December 11, 2014. True what was said on the House floor by Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, “These lurching short-term bills only postpone the tough budget decisions, heighten our Nation's mistrust of Congress, and cause uncertainty within our Federal agencies and the economy.”
Mr. Garamendi of California spoke truth on the House floor saying: “My real concern is beyond just this amendment…The fact that we are knowingly going to find ourselves right smack in the middle of a civil war that has gone on for 3 years and the previous 3 we couldn't figure out which side we wanted to be on and who we wanted to work with, apparently we now know who we want to work with, or at least we will find out who we want to work with. A lot of unknowns here, a lot of concerns. The big concern is the administration presently does not intend to have the Congress of the United States carry out its constitutional responsibility to declare a war or not. They have figured out a way to avoid having the Congress deal with the most fundamental of issues. They claim that the 2001-2002 authorization to use force in Afghanistan and in Iraq is sufficient to carry on what may be an unending war in Iraq and, quite possibly, in Syria. The War Powers Act has been pushed aside. We don't need to worry about that, says the administration. We don't have to vote because they have these other two authorizations to use force still in effect. This is not right. This is a new war, a continuation of the problem that has existed in this area for more than 1400 years. So now it is in for a dime; we are going to be in for many, many dollars and many, many people.
Representative, Work to stop the hemorrhaging flow of money to fund this demonic course through all the “appropriate congressional committees'' by which I mean:
(A) In the House of Representatives, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and
(B) In the Senate the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
As your constituent, I encourage you to call for an immediate vote to block a U.S. war and to place an embargo on weapons transfers to a part of the globe that needs no more weapons. The President is already waging an air and ground war in Iraq and beginning an air war in Syria.
Neither the Constitution nor the killing waits for U.S. election schedules. The time to act is now. Days, Weeks, Months, Years, a Decade from now this madness will be impossible to undo.
These are the U.S. Representatives to whom thank you notes like the one above the orange mustache may be addressed. All 108 Representatives voted "No" on H.J.Res. 124.
Amash Fleming Jones Miller, George Schweikert
Bachmann Frankel (FL) Jordan Mulvaney Scott, Austin
Bentivolio Franks (AZ) Kennedy Nadler Sensenbrenner
Blackburn Fudge Labrador Neugebauer Serrano
Bridenstine Gabbard Larson (CT) Nugent Slaughter
Broun (GA) Garamendi Lee (CA) O'Rourke Speier
Capuano Garrett Lewis Pallone Stockman
Chabot Gibson Lowenthal Payne Swalwell (CA)
Cicilline Gohmert Lummis Perry Takano
Clark (MA) Gosar Maffei Pingree (ME) Thompson (MS)
Clarke (NY) Gowdy Maloney, Carolyn Pocan Tierney
Clawson (FL) Grijalva Maloney, Sean Poe (TX) Tonko
Cooper Gutiérrez Marchant Polis Tsongas
Davis, Danny Hanabusa Massie Posey Velázquez
DeFazio Harris Matheson Rangel Weber (TX)
DeLauro Hastings (FL) McClintock Ribble Welch
DeSantis Holt McDermott Rohrabacher Westmoreland
Doggett Huelskamp McGovern Rooney Williams
Duckworth Huffman Meadows Rothfus Wittman
Duncan (SC) Hurt Meng Salmon Yoho
Duncan (TN) Jeffries Michaud Sanford
Fincher Johnson, Sam Miller, Gary Schrader
By the way: Many extremely knowledgeable people are, I believe, grossly underestimating the $ costs this quagmire will ring up. Just only the bombing alone in the last month is about $ 715,000,000 (715 Mil) already! Add the newest personnel (extending far beyond marines, soldiers, airmen/women and sailors and all the V.A. & other help we will owe them and they will require), now add weapons. Every hour, taxpayers in United States are paying $312,500 for Cost of Military Action Against ISIS. Watch the spinning blur of the ISIL bombing cost counter at National Priorities Project (NPP), 2014 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. NPP says that in 13 years of just Iraq & Afghanistan warring we U.S. nationals have spent $1.6 Trillion (see: video for details).
When you visit NPP sites, go to the Interactive Data page to understand the impact of federal spending on your state or town. Do you wonder how the federal government spends your federal income tax? Do you wish you could build a federal budget that reflects your spending and revenue priorities? National Priorities Project's tools are your doorway. Step through and start exploring!
United States taxpayers pay Every Hour $10.54 million for Total Cost of Wars Since 2001, according to NPP. See all 4 counters on this NPP page spin away.