Congress Votes to Cut Funding to the SOA/WHINSEC
SOA Watch has received confirmation that this week Congress will vote on an amendment to close the School of the Americas, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHINSEC). Representatives Jim McGovern and John Lewis will introduce an amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriations bill to cut funding for the school!
It’s been a year since our last vote in Congress, and the work of thousands of people like you across the Americas who care about justice has gotten us to where we are today.
Let’s seize this opportunity to make history in the defense for human rights!
We expect a close vote in the House this week, and we need as many people as possible flooding the offices of Members of Congress with calls in support of a YES vote on the amendment! We need you to call, email and fax Congress every day until the vote happens. Tell your family and friends to do the same!
Please take the time to call the DC office of your Representative through the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak with the foreign affairs legislative assistant. Click here for a suggested message!
Take Action Now: Email/Fax your Representative urging her/him to Support the Amendment to Cut Funding for the SOA/WHINSEC (Please check the “Send a Fax” option to submit a fax)
Update from SOA Watch:
203:214 = SOA Survives Vote in Congress by 6 Votes
“There’s no turning back…We will win. We are winning because ours is a revolution of mind and heart…” - César Chávez
Last night at 11:52 PM, Congress defeated the McGovern/Lewis amendment to cut the funding for the SOA/WHINSEC by a margin of six votes.
The mobilizing effort was tremendous: Tens of thousands of emails, faxes and calls flooded the halls of Congress over the past three days. Students, clergy, union members and veterans traveled to DC and visited with hundreds of Congressional offices to communicate clearly that there is no room for institutions like the SOA in the future that we want to see. Despite this, 214 Members of Congress missed the chance to stand up for human rights, justice and democracy, and voted to keep the funding for the SOA flowing.
An internal vote count on Wednesday saw us in the lead by 5-10 votes. But we weren’t the only ones striding through the halls of Congress this week: Pentagon representatives, including military generals were there Wednesday and Thursday pressuring Members of Congress.