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“The American
people expect leadership from their elected officials and so far that
leadership has been non-existent. We filed the discharge petition on H
J Res 55 (the Homeward Bound Act) in order to force the House of
Representatives, the people's house, to debate the Iraq War,” said the
House Out of Iraq Caucus founder Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) at
a press conference on November 15th.
A discharge petition is a House procedure that permits members to bring
to the floor a piece of legislation that has not cleared committee, but
only if 218 members of Congress sign the petition. The discharge
petition provides 17 hours of debate and, most importantly, allows
members of Congress to attach amendments to the bill. The ability of
any member, from any side, to attach an amendment ensures that all
perspectives will be debated and voted upon.
Signing the discharge petition does not mean the signee supports the
legislation in question – it only means that they wish to see the bill
come to the floor for a debate. This means any member of Congress, as
long as they believe in free and democratic debate, even those who
fully support the war, can and should sign the petition in good
conscience.
With your help, we can make sure that Congress provides that leadership
they were sent to Washington to provide by finally forcing a debate on the Iraq War after 3 long years.
Tailoring the message to your specific Representative is a great way to stand out!
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