Weekly Spotlight: War-mongering

EXECUTIVE POWER GRAB

War-mongering

Congress is learning the hard way what it should have seen coming: If this White House can get away with something, it will keep doing it. The Trump administration seems to be preparing to launch an attack on Iran, with a rapid, massive buildup of equipment in the area that could enable strikes as early as this weekend. This is exactly what we saw happen in the weeks before the illegal strikes and capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela — all of which happened without congressional approval, which is required under the Constitution. We are hurtling toward yet another unilaterally initiated, unsanctioned war before we have even had the necessary reckoning for what the administration has done in Venezuela. It is imperative that Congress acts swiftly and forcefully to prevent another illegal war.

• POGO is working to shore up support for a bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent any unauthorized military action in Iran. You can be a part of our coalition by calling (202) 224-3121 and directly urging your representatives to pass this critical legislation.
• Congress has stayed on the back foot, ineffectually reacting to the executive branch’s transgressions instead of preventing overreach before it happens. It’s imperative that your representatives learn from their mistakes and reclaim their war powers.
• The campaign of American aggression in the Caribbean is continuing to claim lives. Eleven people were killed by the U.S. in unauthorized boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean on Monday. And the Pentagon is estimated to have spent close to $3 billion in the region already. It is unacceptable that our tax dollars are being used to bolster a conflict that was not even debated by Congress. Your representatives must intervene.

The Sorry State of the Union

Next Tuesday will be President Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term. POGO expects that he will use this time to tout the success he has had in implementing his agenda. But we cannot ignore how Trump has approached his first year back in office — with a wrecking ball. The Trump administration has expanded executive power, broken the law, violated your rights and freedoms, undermined checks and balances, and dismantled oversight mechanisms. That’s not progress. That’s authoritarian rule in action.

• ANALYSIS Trump’s First Year of Attacks On Government: What Can Be Fixed: A year into the second Trump administration, POGO’s Faith Williams takes stock of its impacts to the federal workforce, service delivery, and public trust.
• A significant win: In a powerful upset, the Supreme Court ruled to strike down the majority of President Trump’s sweeping, illegal tariffs. The power to impose taxes and tariffs lies with Congress, the people’s branch. Trump abused emergency powers to impose these punitive tariffs on global trading partners, and we are relieved to see the justices check this power grab. This is the promise of our system of checks and balances, and it is motivating to see its benefits in action.

ABUSING POWER AND RIGHTS

ICE’s $38 billion plan to flip warehouses

There is yet another urgent reason Congress needs to claw back the no-strings-attached funding it handed to the Department of Homeland Security last year. New documents reveal the administration’s truly inhumane vision for mass deportation: Buying up and converting industrial warehouses across the country into processing centers and large-scale detention facilities, the latter of which are projected to hold as many as 10,000 people at a time. The effort is garnering pushback across party lines.

• POGO has reported extensively on the horrific conditions in DHS detention. A record 32 people died in ICE custody last year. With the administration attempting to hinder congressional oversight of immigration facilities and internal inspections plummetting, this expansion will perpetuate more abuse and more loss.
• FACT SHEET Congress Can Prevent DHS Abuses: Congress has an opportunity to rein in abuses by immigration enforcement agents. Here’s what lawmakers should change to have the most impact.
• POGO supports the ICE Accountability Act introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Coons last week. “Immigration agents have become a threat to the public,” says POGO’s David Janovsky. “The scale of this danger requires bold thinking to provide real accountability. We commend Senator Coons and Senator Warren for their leadership in bringing robust oversight to these out-of-control agencies.”

POGO INVESTIGATES

ICE, Inc.: The Top Companies Profiting from Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

A number of the companies winning the largest amount of ICE contracts in Trump’s second term made large political contributions and lobbied on a law tripling ICE’s budget.

Read the investigation on pogo.org/investigates.

DHS Treatment of Whistleblowers Under Investigation by GAO

The review seeks firsthand experiences from Department of Homeland Security whistleblowers from both Trump administrations and the Biden administration. Read the investigation on pogo.org/investigates.