Concerned Veterans for America, launched an ad on Friday July 21, 2019 thanking Republican elected officials for their vote demanding Congress’s approval before taking military action against Iran.
Lawmakers voted on an amendment that would keep the Trump administration from taking military action against Iran without Congress’s approval. The amendment moved forward with a 251-170 vote. 27 Republicans voted in favor of this amendment.
The conservative veterans group’s ad congratulates the elected officials for “standing with the American people in favor of a new foreign policy and for their leadership and principled stand,” according to a release sent to Breitbart News.
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that majorities of U.S. military veterans and the public declared that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq aren’t worth fighting.
Nate Anderson, Concerned Veterans for America Executive Director, said “After almost two decades of fighting, Americans are tired of unending, ill-advised wars. We applaud the principled stances of those members who listened the American people over the din of those in Washington pushing for more war.”
Anderson added, “We want them to know CVA’s grassroots army values their leadership, and that we stand ready and will continue to support those who stand with us to rethink foreign policy and put an end to endless wars.”
The group said that the ads ran in the Congressmen’s districts and states in order to inform their constituents about their leaders’ courageous votes.
The elected officials chosen by Concerned Veterans for America—27 Representatives and 4 Senators—were singled out for their willingness to buck the status quo and work in a bipartisan manner to advance a more restrained foreign policy.
Those members include:
Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-5)
Rep. Ken Buck (CO-4)
Rep. Tim Burchett (TN-2)
Rep. Michael Burgess (TX-26)
Rep. Ben Cline (VA-6)
Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27)
Rep. Tom Cole (OK-4)
Rep. James Comer (KY-1)
Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-8)
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1)
Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1) — co-sponsored amendment with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16)
Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-4)
Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-9)
Rep. Jody Hice (GA-10)
Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (IN-9)
Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4)
Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-4)
Rep. Mark Meadows (NC-11)
Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-2)
Rep. Francis Rooney (FL-19)
Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23)
Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21)
Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-6)
Rep. Fred Upton (MI-6)
Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25)
Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-3)
Senate
Sen. Jerry Moran (KS)
Sen. Rand Paul (KY)
Sen. Mike Lee (UT)
Sen. Susan Collins (ME)
This marks a positive first step in bringing the United States towards a humbler foreign policy.
However, it would be naïve to believe that America will become non-interventionist overnight. Defense interests still hold tremendous power and will do all they can to make the U.S. go back to its interventionist programming.
Nevertheless, America First advocates can be relieved to see that Congress is getting the message that never-ending wars are not the way to go.
