rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/sign-send-joaquin-castro-for-house-foreign-affairs-chair?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-sign-send-joaquin-castro-for-house-foreign-affairs-chair' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Progress America https://actionnetwork.org/groups/progress-america https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/145/439/normal/Joaquin.jpg Rep. Castro has demonstrated a strong commitment to bringing a diversity of voices into discussions on foreign policy. Too often, the voices of those impacted by U.S. foreign policy are left out of the conversations in Washington. As Black, indigenous, and other communities of color face increased militarism at home, and as U.S. militarism abroad has led to disastrous endless wars, we are impressed with Rep. Castro’s transparent and engaging campaign for HFAC Chair, that focuses on the root causes of militarism. We hope to work with Rep. Castro towards a U.S. foreign policy that centers the perspectives and solutions of communities who have experienced harm as a result of U.S. policy, and that tackles the rise in right-wing authoritarianism around the world, which disproportionately impacts women, girls, the LGBTQ+ community, and communities of color. It is critical that the next HFAC Chair be committed to turning the page on post 9/11 policies that have led to massive military budgets, refugee crises, cruel immigration policies, and mass surveillance programs that have disproportionately harmed Latinx, Caribbean, African-American, Asian, and Muslim communities in our nation and around the world. We are heartened by Rep. Castro’s commitment to support war powers reform legislation that would appropriately strengthen Congress’s role in authorizing and overseeing the use of force. Rep. Castro has also supported a diplomacy-driven approach to conflicts in the Middle East, including in Iran and ending reliance on collectively-punishing sanctions as a foreign policy tool. He has voiced support for the U.S. returning to the Iran nuclear agreement and finding diplomatic solutions to other U.S. disputes with Iran. He has also committed to ending U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen and reducing America’s military presence in the region. As Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Rep. Castro has led numerous letters and statements to hold the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accountable for family separation and other human rights violations against migrants, asylum seekers, and immigrant communities. He has also led congressional delegations to the border and to immigration detention centers to investigate abuses and speak directly with impacted families and people. With the devastating impacts of climate change being felt both in the U.S. as well as abroad, the House Foreign Affairs Committee needs a leader like Rep. Castro who puts addressing the climate crisis at the forefront of its agenda. The committee must ensure the U.S. contributes its fair share to global climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. The U.S. must work to advance and expedite the transition to clean, renewable energy domestically and abroad. This means committing to redirect U.S. investments towards funds and projects that support global emissions reductions and climate resilience, rather than the expansion of polluting fossil fuels.   Finally, we applaud Representative Castro's recent commitment to include Palestinian voices in the formulation of policy impacting their lives and his specific condemnation of the Trump administration backing Israeli settlements and its overt and tacit approval of the annexation of the West Bank. With the next Congress, we are eager to work with Rep. Castro to build a more restrained and progressive foreign policy that genuinely serves the needs of communities here in the U.S. and abroad. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sign-send-joaquin-castro-for-house-foreign-affairs-chair