Annie Comes Home: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11

Pamela: Troubling reports indicate a Republican lawmaker is working hand-in-glove with the White House to develop a new and dangerously expansive Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).[1]

If those letters sound ominously familiar, you'd be right: Just TWO laws — the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs — underpinned decades of endless U.S. wars, cost taxpayers TRILLIONs of dollars, and left an incalculable toll of death and human suffering across continents in their wake.

This AUMF would be no different. The language we've seen would give the Trump administration carte blanche to order strikes, against any group or person they deem to be associated with "narco-terrorism" in more than 60 countries.[2]

It's a recipe for PERPETUAL global war — and we need to stop it before it begins.

Our team is already working every connection we have on Capitol Hill, sounding the alarm in the media, and mobilizing activists like you to urge Congress to throw up any roadblock to war — and, Pamela, we need your help to ensure we have the resources on hand to knock this rumored AUMF off the rails.

Activists like you fuel our work, but fewer than 2% of people reading this will give. Will you chip in $10, $25, or whatever you can today to help Win Without War stop Congress from writing Trump a blank check for war powers that could unleash a new era of violence and devastation?

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The devastating bomb-first, authorize-later approach Trump has adopted is nothing new, but now, this administration is taking it even further — this time under the guise of fighting loosely-defined "narco-terrorism" and regardless of the human costs. Trump can claim this is his solution to the fentanyl crisis all he wants. But the reality is that he's rinsing and repeating a failed violence-first playbook while simultaneously cutting the health and harm reduction programs at home that have actually worked to reduce overdose deaths.

If Congress signs off on this AUMF, it could result in drone strikes in Mexico. Bombings in Colombia. Naval attacks off Venezuela. Without specific targets or geographic restrictions, there's little to stop Trump from targeting groups, leaders, or even governments that simply oppose his agenda.

For decades, they have ceded their authority to the presidency, but Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution makes it crystal-clear that Congress has the SOLE authority to declare war. We need to keep that way and ensure the people have a say in decisions over war and peace. That includes blocking ANY new AUMFs.

If we've learned anything over the past 250 days Trump has been in office, it's that if he or his allies threaten to do something, we cannot afford to wait to see what happens. That's why we're jumping into action — but, Pamela, we can't do it alone.

This is exactly the kind of moment Win Without War was built for. Our team is working around the clock to keep this AUMF off the books — but to go toe-to-toe with the war hawks and weapons lobbyists on Capitol Hill, we'll need more resources. Resources that your donations can help deliver. Please donate now.

Our system is geared towards war and violence because of the power of weapons contractors, because voices of impacted people are locked out, and because the status quo, pro-intervention mentality in the U.S. foreign policy establishment continues to reign supreme.

But more than a decade ago, we named our goal to build a more peaceful foreign policy focused on justice, safety, equity, and peace in a visionary campaign: END ENDLESS WAR.

The debate about our nation's post-9/11 wars has never been the same. We refuse to watch the Trump administration turn back the clock.

Thank you for working for peace,
The Win Without War team

1. The New York Times, "Draft Bill Would Authorize Trump to Kill People He Deems Narco-Terrorists"
2. Responsible Statecraft, "Proposed war authorization could allow Trump to target 60+ countries"