| September 30, 2008 Success: Iran Blockade Legislation Fizzles
Success: No Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
Success: Congress Bans Cluster Bomb Exports
Success: Congress Says No to New Nuclear Weapons
Success: Congress Invests in Peace
Success: Congress Boosts Money for Poor, Students
Iran: FCNL Participates in Dialogue with President Ahmadinejad
War Is Not the Answer Photo of the Week: Washington, DC
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In the fall of 2008, Congress moved closer to approving a U.S.-India nuclear deal and failed to advance Indian health care funding or provide help for the many workers who have lost their jobs in the recent economic downturn. Yet even in this election year, we at FCNL can mark several significant successes. Success: Iran Blockade Legislation Fizzles
In June, House leaders reportedly pledged to "fast track" legislation that urged the president to initiate an international blockade on Iran, prevent Iranian diplomats from traveling, and possibly provoke a war. FCNL spent the next 4 months intensely lobbying against the bill, H. Con. Res. 362, and helped convince 5 representatives to remove their names from the legislation, a rare step. Despite gaining cosponsorship from more than half the House, the bill is now unlikely to pass the House this year. Find out more. Success: No Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
See a map of proposed
permanent bases
| For the third year in a row, Congress approved the FCNL-initiated proposal to ban the U.S. government from establishing permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. The measure was included in the 2009 military authorization bill, which both the House and Senate have passed and President George W. Bush is expected to sign. While FCNL opposes authorizing and spending more money for war, Congress included specific provisions that we support in the military authorization bill. Find out more. | Congress Bans Cluster Bomb Exports
A one-year moratorium on cluster bomb exports was set to expire on September 30, 2008. In the waning hours of the 110th Congress, members included an extension of the ban on the export of most types of cluster bombs in a bill that will keep the government running through March 2009. While this extension is short term, it provides another clear victory for FCNL's campaign to ban cluster bombs. Congress still needs to approve legislation that would ban U.S. forces from using these weapons in civilian-populated areas. Find out more. Success: Congress Says No to New Nuclear Weapons
 | FCNL lobbying has once again helped block funding for the Bush administration's proposed Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program. The final nail in the weapon's coffin came in September, when a House-Senate conference committee for the 2009 military authorization bill refused to allow any money to be spent on RRW. Earlier this year, FCNL's Quaker Nuclear Disarmament Program helped prevent funding for RRW from being included in the 2009 military spending bill. This is the second year FCNL has helped block this program. Find out more | Success: Congress Invests in Peace
The ability of the United States to help prevent and resolve conflicts was strengthened when Congress included legislation to create a civilian response corps in the 2009 military authorization bill. The corps could be sent to crisis-torn areas to help countries restore basic services to their citizens and support political and economic reconstruction. FCNL has been lobbying for the corps as part of the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (H.R. 1084), which had passed the House but not the Senate. Congress had already provided $55 million for the creation of the corps. While FCNL opposes authorizing and spending more money for war, Congress included some provisions that we support in the military authorization bill. Find out more. Success: Congress Boosts Money for Poor, Students
As part of a bill to fund the government though March 2009, Congress increased funding for a program providing home heating assistance to the poor, student aid, and supplemental nutrition for poor women, infants, and children. Find out more. Iran: FCNL Participates in Dialogue with President Ahmadinejad
Three FCNL staff members joined representatives of other U.S. peace and religious organizations last week in meetings with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York. They met with the Iranian president to underscore the possibility of direct negotiations between the United States and Iran, not because FCNL agrees with him but precisely because people and nations who don't agree need to talk. Find out more about the meeting, why FCNL attended, and the staff members' impressions of the event. War Is Not the Answer Photo of the Week: Washington, DC
Pablo Fernandez Moix
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