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10 tweets,
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1/10 Many Congressional candidates steer clear of foreign policy. But talking about the role we’ve played in world affairs, and how it needs to change, is incredibly important. Particularly in MD-05: a suburb of D.C. nestled in the shadow of the military-industrial complex.
2/10 The issues which have defined U.S. foreign policy in my lifetime have played a role in shaping who I am. As I’ve said, my Aunt Sharon was killed in 9/11 while working in the Pentagon. I currently work as an Administrative Assistant in the Pentagon myself.
3/10 After nearly two decades of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans are beginning to fully grasp the severe consequences of the foreign policy status quo. I’m running to join the movement which seeks to put an end to the interventionism and imperialism we’ve engaged in.
4/10 U.S. policymakers often refer to wars such as Vietnam and Iraq as “blunders” or “mistakes.” The problem with this language is that it implies, had they gone somewhat differently, that they would have been justified. This is false.
5/10 @LeaderHoyer voted in favor of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, even as his fellow Maryland Democratic Congressmen @RepCummings and @BenCardinforMD voted against it.
6/10 Hoyer’s actions on ending U.S. involvement in the war crimes and humanitarian crises in Yemen have been tepid at best. While he did eventually vote in favor of S.J.Res.7, which I commend, his office previously resisted efforts to end our support for the atrocities.
7/10 I share the skepticism @RepBarbaraLee grappled with in 2001 of the vagueness of the AUMF language, giving the Executive broad powers in using military force. This has manifested in hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan casualties and tens of thousand of Americans dead.
8/10 I believe that by the powers vested in Congress by the Constitution and the War Powers Act, both the 2001 and 2002 versions of the AUMF must be replaced if not altogether repealed.
9/10 We must check the executive power to unilaterally wage war. We must fix the astonishingly lopsided balance between military spending and foreign aid in the nations the U.S. has occupied or been involved in.
10/10 These are actions Hoyer is not likely to fight for as they would threaten the check he is cut by the defense industry: over $200,000 in 2018 alone. I’m running to give people an alternative vision of what U.S. foreign policy could be.
