Peace Action Maine's Mission:
We are a voice of education and a center for people committed to disarmament and creative responses to conflict.

Peace Action Maine's Mission:
We are a voice of education and a center for people committed to disarmament and creative responses to conflict.

Discretionary Pie FY 2023

     The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is legislation that Congress passes each year to make changes to the policies and organization of United States defense agencies and provide guidance on how military funding can be spent, though funding for the U.S. military must be approved through appropriations bills.
     A relatively rare example of bipartisanship in Congress, the NDAA has been passed for 60 straight years. That consistency has also made the bill a "must pass" bill and so,  a popular vehicle for tacking on legislation that has little to do with defense.
     Of the 1,500 + proposed amendments, here are the ones we can advocate for (many thanks for the work by Peace Action).

Rules/Amdt. #1473 Jacobs (CA), Omar (MN) - Prohibits the transfer of cluster munitions.

Rules/Amdt. #10 Holmes Norton (DC) - Insert the text of Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act of 2023 (H.R.2775).

Rules/Amdt. #31 Lee (CA), Roy (TX), Spanberger (VA), Hageman (WY) - Repeals the 2002 and 1991 Authorizations for Use of Military Force for Iraq. (Identical text to HR 932 and S 316).

Rules/Amdt. #46 Lee (CA)/Pocan (WI) - Reduces the NDAA top line by $100 billion and holds harmless all accounts that support pay and benefits for personnel and dependents.

Rules/Amdt. #50 Lieu (CA), Meeks (NY) - Extends an existing prohibition on mid-air refueling of non-U.S. aircraft participating in hostilities in the civil war in Yemen for two years.

Rules/Amdt. #111 Pressley (MA) - A moratorium on the transfer of military weapons to local law enforcement agencies.

Rules/Amdt. #137 Meeks (NY), Wild (PA) - To enhance the consideration of human rights in arms exports.

Rules/Amdt. #138 Garamendi (CA) - Extends the operational life of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile until at least 2040 and pauses the development of the Sentinel Program until 2031. Restricts funding to the Sentinel program and the W87-1 warhead modification program during fiscal year 2024.

Rules/Amdt. #161 Bowman (NY), Bush (MO), Schakowsky (IL), Tlaib (MI), Khanna (CA) - Prohibits U.S. military presence in Syria without Congressional approval within one year of enactment.

Rules/Amdt. #279 Blumenauer (OR), Garamendi (CA) - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not use nuclear weapons first.

Rules/Amdt. #435 Jayapal (WA), McClintock (CA), Davidson (OH) - Repeals the statutory requirement that the Department of Defense submit unfunded priorities lists to Congress outside the formal budget request process.

Rules/Amdt. #472 Davidson (OH) - Requires the President to develop and submit a report to Congress that contains a strategy for U.S. involvement in Ukraine.

Rules/Amdt. #509 Beyer (VA) - Reduces wasteful spending by striking section 1641 and section 1642 which provide funding for the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile program (SLCM-N) and mandate quarterly reports on the progress of the SLCM-N program's development.

Rules/Amdt. #560 Foster (IL) - Commissioning a study on the New START treaty and what the future holds if no arms control agreements are met.

Rules/Amdt. #576 McGovern (MA), Pocan (WI) - Calls for an annual report from State to Congress, in consultation with DOD, that assesses the status of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.

Rules/Amdt. #658 Tlaib (MI) - Strikes the prohibition on the reduction of the total number of nuclear armed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) deployed in the United States in Sec. 1638. Prohibition on reduction of the intercontinental ballistic missiles of the United States.

Rules/Amdt. #1157 Bishop (NC), Biggs (AZ), Lee (CA) - Repeals the 2001 AUMF.

Rules/Amdt. #1171 Hoyle (OR), Khanna (CA), Jayapal (WA) - Revised Prohibits U.S. funding from being used for unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the war in Yemen if the Saudi-led coalition resumes aerial hostilities against the Houthis in Yemen. This includes prohibiting funds from being used for military logistical support or intelligence sharing that enables offensive strikes.

Rules/Amdt. #1261 Bush (MO) - Prohibits funds from being used to further facilitate the ongoing unilateral annexation of any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Rules/Amdt. #1473 Jacobs (CA), Omar (MN) - Prohibits the transfer of cluster munitions.

Upcoming Events and Recent Events

GAZA actions

Nov 21, 2023
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MVPR post for Dec. 5: Raise Your Voice To AIPAC Joe in Boston (mailchi.mp) Note: on Tuesday 12/5, there's a call in program (4 - 5 pm) on Gaza on radio station WERU broadcasting out of the midcoast. Listen online: https://weru.org/listen/ Call-in number: 207-469-0500 Guests on the program are supporters of Palestinian…

Commemorating Armistice Day 2023 ME VFP screens What I Want You To Know

Oct 16, 2023
What I want you to know https://www.whatiwantyoutoknow-film.com/ Nov. 12, Sunday In observance of Armistice Day ME VFP is sponsoring a screening of What I Want You To Know at the Portland Media Center currently planned for 1 PM and co-sponsored by Maine Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Peace Action Maine. It…

Two Veterans Talking About Peace_ Peace Action Maine 2023 Fall Gathering

Sep 20, 2023
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2023 Peace Action Maine Annual Fall Gathering. You are invited!ALERT: due to the active shooter event, this event is CANCELED. We hope to reschedule in the future.Our condolences to the victims of this violence. Doug Rawlings was drafted in 1969 and sent to Viet Nam as a member of the 7/15th artillery. His experiences in…

Join ME VFP: My Journey Back to Vietnam with Doug Rawlings

Sep 08, 2023
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My Journey Back to Vietnam Sept. 17, Sunday 3-5pm Portland Media Center 516 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101 Doug Rawlings returned to Vietnam in early August with his son, Josh, to speak at a conference in Hue City. Fifty-three years ago Rawlings was in the 7/15th Artillery located at a firebase in the Central Highlands.…

Maine Farm's call to protest warship's christening

Jul 24, 2023
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CALL TO ACTION: from Smilin' Trees Disarmament Farm Please join Smilin' Trees Disarmament Farm at Bath Iron Works on Saturday July 29th from 9:30 till 11 AM to protest the Christening of the Harvey C. Barnum Jr. DDG-124 an Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer. We will gather across from the Post Office on Washington Street in…

NDAA 2023

Jul 09, 2023
Discretionary Pie FY 2023
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is legislation that Congress passes each year to make changes to the policies and organization of United States defense agencies and provide guidance on how military funding can be spent, though funding for the U.S. military must be approved through appropriations bills. A…

Historic Golden Rule, Peace Sailboat Visits Maine

Jun 17, 2023
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Plenty of public parking, due to the upcoming Heritage Days in Bath, expect some roads to be blocked off but be patient:) Golden Rule is docked right in front of Waterfront Park on the Kennebec River!! For the later event, there is parking behind the Customs House and also under the bridge (you have to look hard for the…