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Reject Extremist Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense

As the dust has settled from the 2024 elections and 2025 has arrived, the real work to oppose the most dangerous, most damaging aspects of the incoming Trump administration’s foreign policy is now underway.

It begins with raising the red flag and exposing some of Trump’s most extremist nominations for cabinet positions, in this case, Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. 

The U.S. Secretary of Defense oversees the world's largest and most powerful military – and the extremely bloated nearly $900 billion budget that will mark it this year. It goes without saying that Peace Action is going to have some policy disagreements with whoever is nominated for this role. 

But in this case, Trump has tapped someone beyond the pale, and we must do everything we can to oppose the nomination. Hegseth’s track record and lack of any real experience don’t just fall embarrassingly short, they make him a potential threat to the safety and security of millions of people – both at home and around the world. At the same time, the track record he does have as a Fox News pundit is full of dangerous positions on Pentagon policy, including as a China hawk who claims the U.S. military is “a decade behind” China’s. He praised Trump’s belligerent “fire and fury” instincts claiming U.S. foreign policy needs to deploy “uncertainty” and “the threat of violence.”

Hegseth has a history of inflammatory statements, a troubling record, allegations of sexual assault, and his past designation as a potential “insider threat” raises serious concerns about his fitness to lead the Department of Defense. 

The “insider threat” flagging was during President Biden’s inauguration, due to a tattoo on his arm bearing the phrase Deus Vult – a Latin term tied to the Crusades and, in modern times, linked to white supremacist groups. This led to his removal from security duties with the National Guard at the time, underscoring how his behavior and associations posed risks to the integrity of military leadership. 

Hegseth’s white supremacist rhetoric has extended to the agency he would run. He claimed that “we can assume that 17 percent of all black officers in the Air Force are simply promoted because of how they look – and not how they lead.” He used politicized and racist language to attack Pentagon leaders, saying that Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown, the second black man to hold that position, “built his generalship dutifully pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians, who in turn rewarded him with promotions.” 

Hegseth likewise defended the January 6 protest mob, calling them patriots who had “been re-awoken to the reality of what the left has done” to their country. Given his spoken support for Trump’s threats to invoke the Insurrection Act against protesters, as well as Trump’s own potential to use the U.S. military against immigrants, such a racist, far-right appointment poses a real danger of increased militarism and repression of rights and political activism. 

Additionally, Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who stated he used his position to exploit and intimidate her. Reports reveal that Hegseth paid off the accuser in an attempt to bury the allegations. 

The role of Secretary of Defense demands a leader who prioritizes the well-being of U.S. troops, fosters international alliances, and approaches national security with seriousness and responsibility. Instead of championing peace at a moment when global tensions are already on a hair trigger, Hegseth is likely to escalate conflicts and deepen divisions throughout the world.

Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing took place on January 14. As the Senate prepares to exercise its constitutional role to advise and consent on Trump’s nominations, we all now have a critical role to play. Hegseth’s history of inflammatory rhetoric and unaccountable behavior is incompatible with the leadership needed to protect lives, reduce suffering, and promote peace. The Senate needs to exercise its constitutional duty to advise and consent by rejecting this reckless nomination.

Action: Contact Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and urge them both to be vocal and forthright in their opposition to Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. Tell them neither the Senate nor the country can allow extremist rhetoric, scandal, and unqualified leadership to have a place in the Department of Defense.

Respect and Protect the International Criminal Court

At this time of great uncertainty and challenge, the new (119th) Congress got off to an inauspicious start when it comes to the human rights violations in Gaza. A cruel and cynical plan to shield Netanyahu and other U.S. allies from accountability at the International Criminal Court (ICC) was buried in the 2025 House “rules package”. This is the very first and foundational bill the House takes up every new session.[1] This year’s “rules package” included HR 23 (from far-right Texas Rep. Chip Roy), an expedited path for sanctioning the ICC if it investigates or takes action against Netanyahu and Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and perhaps other Netanyahu allies. Now that the skids are greased, the actual ICC vote took place January 8 and was approved in a 243-140 vote. (We're happy to report that neither Rep. Kevin Mullin nor Sam Liccardo were among the 45 Democratic votes.) 

So the U.S. is right now rewarding Israel with $8 billion in brand new weapons transfers [2]; meanwhile the House leadership has cued up a plan to sanction the International Criminal Court for attempting to stop the human rights violations.

The bill and its sanctions are designed to be sweeping and draconian. Anyone who “aids” the ICC in simply “investigating” someone like Netanyahu or the Israeli government – along with their family members – could also be sanctioned. Providing any “material support” to an ICC investigation would be sanctionable. This law could have a real chilling effect on peace and other organizations that are advocating for compliance with human rights rules. That’s intentional.

And it’s upside down. The ICC is a checks and balances forum for anyone and any country who breaches international humanitarian laws. We are compromising our own country’s integrity and credibility by protecting Israel while it breaches our own Leahy Law and International humanitarian laws. We need to stand up and say NO to this topsy-turvy assault on basic morality. The vote could come any day now so it’s best to make a call rather than email. 

Now the bill goes to the Senate, where new Majority Leader John Thune has promised to bring a vote before the inauguration.

Action: Contact Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and urge them to vote against the Senate version of H.R. 23, the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act”.  Suggest that the U.S. should not be putting sanctions on the International Criminal Court for appropriately investigating alleged war crimes by Israeli – as well as Hamas – leaders. Congress should not allow the U.S. to enable human rights violations by sending weapons while also voting to protect the perpetrators. This would only harm our country's  reputation further with the global community. 

[1] House GOP Tries to Protect Netanyahu From ICC With Rules PackageJessica Corbett, Common Dreams, January 1, 2025

[2] State Dept. Tells Congress It Plans to Send $8 Billion in Arms to Israel, Edward Wong, New York Times, January 3, 2025

Restore UNRWA Funding

Between the genocidal violence, crumbling medical infrastructure (1) and Israeli government officials openly justifying the starvation of millions of Palestinians, (2), we still face the fact of Palestinians in Gaza dealing with unimaginable suffering every day. But U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) remains paused.

Since 1949, this has been the main organization carrying out aid delivery and other relief activities for Palestinians, and its work seemingly has never been more necessary now – given the human rights catastrophe that we are witnessing.

Earlier in the year, 12 UNRWA employees were implicated in the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israelis that included the taking of 250 hostages. In April, a UN independent panel found no evidence of such collusion. But by then, the damage was done, as the U.S. had joined a number of other countries in cutting off aid to UNRWA and crippling its ability to help Palestinian civilians through this most devastating period.

On September 19, HR9469, the UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act, was introduced by Reps. Andre Carson, Pramila Jayapal and Jan Schakowsky, with 65 original co-sponsors; there are now 71. Unfortunately, that does not include Rep. Kevin Mullin, though Rep. Anna Eshoo became a co-sponsor on November 13. Mullin has expressed concern for the plight of Palestinian civilians, and he is now in a position to act on that concern by signing on to this important bill.

And on November 21, the Senate version of this bill, S.5388, was introduced by Sen. Peter Welch, along with Sens. Bernie Sanders, Chris Van Hollen, Amy Klobuchar and Mazie Hirono. Both versions of the bill are likely to be re-introduced early in the new Congress. 

The UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act would:

  • Repeal the funding prohibitions included in the FY24 Appropriations bill and the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024;
  • Express a sense of Congress that supports appropriating critical funds to UNRWA for Fiscal Year 2025;
  • Require the Secretary of State to report to Congress on a quarterly basis on the steps UNRWA is taking to implement recommendations from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) to further ensure the neutrality of its workforce; and
  • Urge the Secretary of State, as soon as possible, to rescind the temporary pause in funding for and resume funding to UNRWA.

The work of UNRWA is essential, as is funding for it. If this bill is enacted, the U.S. would be the last nation to restore its contribution. We are known for setting an example, but this time we need to follow an example.

Action: Contact Rep. Kevin Mullin or Sam Liccardo, or whomever represents you, to urge their co-sponsorship of the UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act.  Likewise contact Sens. Padilla and Schiff, to urge their support for the Senate version. Suggest this is an effective and overdue bill toward beginning to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. 

Block Arms, Save Lives 

There are two complementary strategies to restrain U.S. support for the war on Gaza.

First, we are still pushing for a ceasefire (see below), and more members of Congress are coming on board. Late last week and over the weekend, more moderate Democrats, including key Jewish congressional leaders, joined in supporting a ceasefire. They included Jamie Raskin, Sara Jacobs and Becca Balint.

Second, we aim to use the most powerful lever Congress has to impact the behavior of the Israeli government: U.S. arms transfers. The U.S. builds and finances much of Israel’s arsenal.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar introduced a measure to block a $320 million arms sale to Israel. [1] The bill, which is called a Joint Resolution of Disapproval, would revoke the export license of a type of guided bomb kit that is used in the airstrikes killing so many civilians.

The State Department notified Congress of this particular weapons transfer on October 31 – the same day Israel struck the Jabaliya refugee camp in an airstrike that killed about 50 Palestinians. The bombs that were dropped on the camp are usually outfitted with “precision” guidance systems of the type being transferred in this batch.[2] These are the type of “sophisticated” weapons that are killing civilians and destroying civilian targets.

U.S. law is supposed to prohibit the transfer of U.S. weapons to countries who use such weapons to commit human rights violations. The Biden administration actually tightened the rules on arms transfers to say that weapons shouldn’t be transferred if they are “more likely than not” to be used in atrocities.[3] Clearly, in Gaza, the killing of thousands of civilians and the destruction of schools, apartment blocks, hospitals, refugee camps etc. violates this standard. Congress can use its powers to enforce this policy.

Action: Contact Rep. Mullin or Liccardo, or whomever represents you, and tell them to work to block a pending arms shipment to Israel. Mention that the weapons in question could be used in human rights violations...which is in turn a violation of U.S. law.  

1. Omar unveils resolution to block weapons sale to Israel, The Hill, NICK ROBERTSON, November 16, 2023

2. Israel Used 2,000-Pound Bombs in Strike on Jabaliya, Analysis Shows, Christopher Coetti, New York Times, November 3, 2023

3. Unpacking Biden’s Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, John Chappell, Ari Tolany, Lawfare, March 1, 2023.

Rein in Nuclear Weapons

A year ago, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved their iconic Doomsday Clock ahead to 90 seconds before midnight, the closest it’s ever come to symbolic global apocalypse. This month  the clock will be set again in an annual action. Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Tensions are rising with China. Last August, the UN Secretary-General said “humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.”

In short, the threat of nuclear war is all too real and frightening, perhaps greater than it has been since the Cuban Missile Crisis over 60 years ago, and threatening all of humanity, all we hold dear.

In January 2021, 50-plus nations (all non-nuclear weapons states) signed and entered into force the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This past January 31, Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) re-introduced H. Res 77, “(E)mbracing the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” The resolution urges the President and Congress to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by supporting common sense policies, including:

- Actively pursuing and concluding negotiations on a new, bilateral nuclear arms control and disarmament framework agreement with Russia before 2026, as well as negotiations with China and other nuclear-armed states on agreements for the verifiable, enforceable, and timebound elimination of global nuclear arsenals;

- Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first;

- Ending the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack;

- Taking nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert;

- Canceling plans to replace the U.S. nuclear arsenal with modernized, enhanced weapons.

Rep. Kevin Mullin is a co-sponsor of H Res 77, and we will be counting on him to sign on to any new version; we hope Rep. Liccardo also will.

Action: Folks in Rep. Kevin Mullin's district can contact him to express thanks for his support of the measure and urge him to co-sponsor a new version in the new Congress. Constituents of Rep Liccardo, or whomever is their Rep., can contact them and ask that they sign on. Suggest they need to show leadership and take this step toward preventing nuclear war and advancing policies that will make the world a safer place, before the unthinkable happens.

Palestinian Rights are Human Rights

Through our tax dollars, we unfortunately continue to lend support for the Israeli government’s violence and oppression of Palestinians. The unconditional support of Israel by the United States – which includes $3.8 billion per year – reinforces a militaristic policy that includes annexation, evictions, home demolitions, and the detention and torture of Palestinians…even young children.

We hopefully will have a chance to help change this. Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) and 16 other reps re-introduced the Palestinian Children and Families Act into the last Congress. The bill would have helped curtail any U.S. military funding to Israel that pays for the military detention of Palestinian children, the demolition of Palestinian homes, or the annexation of Palestinian land. The bill currently has 18 co-sponsors.

The Palestinian Children and Families Act creates sorely needed accountability around how U.S. tax dollars are used by Israel. It’s a modest but powerful step that boils down to one of the boldest pieces of U.S. legislation ever introduced on Palestinian human rights.

Rep. McCollum first introduced this bill in 2021, and thanks to lobbying efforts from peace and justice advocates, 32 additional members of Congress co-sponsored the bill over the course of two years. The previous version had 30 co-sponsors. Now we need to continue to grow support for a new version of this important bill.

As we’ve seen, Congress is hardly known for staking out bold positions on Palestinian rights. The fact that this bill was even introduced has pushed the needle forward politically. Given the strong support for the Israeli military in Congress, increasing support for this legislation can put real pressure on Israeli policy. At the same time, slowly but surely, we are building greater support for Palestinian rights in Congress. Hawkish, pro-occupation organizations like AIPAC are going to come hard at this bill and its co-sponsors, and it will be imperative that we stand up to their pressure – and encourage members of Congress to do the same.

Action: Contact Rep. Mullin, Liccard or whomever represents you, and tell them to show their support for human rights by co-sponsoring the Palestinian Children and Families Act. Suggest that it’s time to take a stand against Israeli abuses to Palestinian rights.

An Actual Peace with North Korea?

This July will mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that led to the stopping of the killing that took place during the Korean War. The agreement suggested an eventual end to the war, but we are still waiting for any diplomatic initiative in that direction. We have watched as such actions began to take shape, only to be scuttled by difficult demands by the U.S. on North Korea and new sanctions when the demands were not met. North Korea, for its part, has ramped up its nuclear weapons program to a dangerous level – made more so by the volatility and threats of the ruling Kim family.

The U.S. surely doesn’t want a nuclear confrontation – the “fire and fury” rhetoric of Donald Trump is for now just a memory – but our periodic military exercises with South Korea serve to keep tensions at an unreasonable level, and the volatility has similarly remained. A continued state of war with North Korea has resulted in a lack of real diplomatic relations and a continuation of a hostile relationship.

In the spirit of changing that, CA Rep. Brad Sherman has repeatedly introduced the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. This would direct the Secretary of State “pursue serious, urgent diplomatic engagement with North Korea and South Korea in pursuit of a binding peace agreement” to formally end the state of war. The hoped-for peace is of course meant to reduce the tensions in the region, including allowing North Korean citizens in the U.S. to visit family in their home country.

The ROK·US·International Call to Resolve the Threat of War on the Korean Peninsula and Suspend ROK-US Combined Military Exercises (signed by 99 U.S. and international civil society organizations including PASMC) puts it quite well: “We must end the Korean war that has afflicted all members of the Korean Peninsula for over 70 years, and redirect the cost of destructive weapons to solving inequality and the climate crisis. It is time to end hostility and confrontation and strive for a peaceful and sustainable world through reconciliation and cooperation.”

Action: Contact Rep. Mullin,  Liccardo, or whomever represents you, to urge their co-sponsorship of any new version of the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. Suggest that pursuing diplomacy with North Korea is a pivotal first step to breaking through the stalemate in U.S.-North Korea relations, and reducing the heat that could lead to a nuclear confrontation.

Directory                                                                                                                            

Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Senator Adam Schiff

(202) 224-3841

https://www.schiff.senate.gov

Schiff_California@schiff.senate.gov

Senator Alex Padilla

333 Bush Street, Ste. 3225 San Francisco, CA 94104
(202) 224-3553                   fax: (202) 224-2200

(415) 981-9369                             

https://padilla.senate.gov/contact/

Representative Kevin Mullin                             

1528 S. Camino Real, Ste. 307   San Mateo, CA  94402

(202) 225-3531                     (650) 342-0300         

https://kevinmullin.house.gov

Representative Sam Liccardo                                                                                                    

(202) 225-8104                                            

https://liccardo.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact/email-me

President Joe Biden

The White House 

(202)456-1111 (The comment line is open Tuesday-Thursday from 8 AM - Noon PST.)

www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Find out who your Representative is: www.house.gov 

If you are not in California, identify your senators here: www.senate.gov