October 7 was a horrific act of barbaric, antisemitic terror. Fresh off two catastrophic wars of our own, the U.S. could have played a supportive and steadying role for Israel.
Instead, through two presidential administrations now, the U.S. enabled Israel to kill tens of thousands—likely more—of Palestinian civilians including children and plunging Gaza into a deadly famine by blockingaid.
It does not stop there. Underway are plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza and herd Palestinians that a former Israeli prime minister himself described as a “concentration camp.”
The effort would clear the way for the colonial redevelopment of the Gaza Strip as a Western-style resort under the direction of Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner through an unaccountable slush fund.
Matt is fighting to put a stop to U.S. support for Israel’s genocide and block the Trump family’s plan to colonize Gaza. If Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into a Western colonial resort town comes to fruition, it will become a vector of extremist recruitment and violence in the region and against the United States. Matt believes we must put a stop to it.
Pass the Block the Bombs Act
Deny assistance under the Leahy amendment which prohibits security assistance to foreign governments which commit human rights violations
Challenge the legal basis for U.S. participation in and structure of the “Board of Peace” without congressional authorization and as a violation of the Emoluments Clause
Billions in funds procured from foreign governments, that entrusts supreme decision-making authority to Donald Trump the individual in a real estate venture spearheaded with his son-in-law, who is not a U.S. government employee
Passed and signed into law in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force provided the Executive wide latitude to conduct counter-terror operations for over twenty years. The authorization identifies no specific enemy, determines no specific geographic location, and fails to provide a list of permissible operations or to what extent.
Matt is fighting to repeal the 2001 AUMF and return war powers to the Congress. The 2001 AUMF enables the Executive Branch to undertake open-ended conflicts without seeking congressional approval or oversight. Administrations across both parties used the 2001 AUMF to justify use of force in many countries—Afghanistan, Iraq (operations against ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked groups), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kenya, Libya, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
In his first campaign for president, Donald Trump sought to tap the American people’s growing dissatisfaction with foreign interventions. Afghanistan lingered for another five years. Iraq was fought under false pretenses. Operations in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, and more. With help from the press, Trump continues to be described as an isolationist. A dove.Anti-war.
Yet he campaigned on a promise to commit human rightsviolations and to “bomb every inch” and “leave nothing left.” Once he became president, drone strikes ratcheted up. It tripled in the first couple months. It escalated from there. A botched special operations raid in Yemen. Unlawful strikes against Syria and Iran.
His return to the presidency brought with it more illegal strikes against Iran, murder in the Caribbean. Abduction of the leader of a sovereign power. It culminated with an unconstitutional regime change war with Iran. The impact of which is unknown.
Matt is fighting to put an end to Donald Trump’s reckless and illegal foreign aggression. These actions damage the reputation of the United States on the international stage. These actions are potentially destabilizing in their respective regions. These actions are illegal.
NATO is the most successful defensive pact in history.
A continent ravaged by two world wars, NATO’s formation kept the Soviet Army out of western Europe for nearly fifty years. It embodies the idiom “strength in numbers.” With the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, the eventual ascension of eleven nations—previously under Russian domination—into NATO speaks volumes.
For over ten years, Donald Trump’s affinity for Vladimir Putin and Russia posed an existential threat to the Alliance. This administration seeks to force Ukraine into a pro-Russian settlement of the war and drives away our allies over Canada and Greenland. Unity within an expanded Alliance under Joe Biden was drastically weakened in record time because of this foolish narcissist. Within a year, our allies within NATO question the American commitment to Article 5—invoked only once, after September 11—and envision a security posture without the United States.
Congress acted in the recent National Defense Authorization Act to prevent unilateral troop reductions or cuts to support for our Baltic allies by this administration.
With nationalist movements allied internationally with Vladimir Putin determined to weaken pan-European institutions, a weakened NATO opens the door to a new era of volatility on the continent.
Matt is a champion of the alliance and would push to secure the U.S. role within it. If elected to Congress, Matt would:
Strengthen the law which seeks to prevent a president’s unilateral withdrawal from the alliance
Push for legislation to prevent administrative efforts to undermine the alliance such as denying troop participation in NATO exercises and withholding ambassadors
Support the European Deterrence Initiative to maintain military readiness and deter further Russian aggression in Europe
Pass the Eastern Flank Strategic Partnership Act
Prohibit use of funds to reduce NATO commitments without congressional authorization
Support a sense of Congress resolution to reaffirm American commitment to NATO
Vladimir Putin believed the Russian steamroller would slice through Ukraine and capture Kyiv quickly in 2022. Four years and more than a million Russian casualties later, Putin’s military holds less Ukrainian territory than it did in the early weeks of the war. Russia continues to lose 25,000 a month and Kyiv is still in Ukrainian hands.
Security assistance, albeit a “sharp decrease,” continues to flow to Kyiv fulfilling past commitments. However, Donald Trump and his administration appear determined to force Ukraine to capitulate to Putin’s imperialist demands. The distrust engendered by Trump is found in the fact that France now provides Ukraine with two-thirds of its intelligence.
Matt is committed to freedom and democracy and fighting to support for Ukraine’s defense. Ukraine’s independence is a bulwark against further incursions of Eastern Europe. If the West pulls back and Ukraine falls, Putin will test NATO’s resolve in the Baltics or Poland. The past year of provocations by Donald Trump to undermine NATO only heightens these risks.
Pass the Supporting Ukraine Act which includes $30 billion in defense assistance
Authorize the shipment of equipment from U.S. stockpiles
Reclaim controlled military surplus transferred to local police departments through the 1033 Program still under ownership of the Department of Defense and provide to Kyiv in the defense of Ukraine
Use of frozen Russian central bank assets for reconstruction and the defense of Ukraine
Support for Ukraine’s entry into NATO following the war
