1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support replacing Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic leader. His inadequate opposition to the Trump administration's war on Iran contradicts the will of Democratic voters and undermines our party's credibility on foreign policy. Eighty-nine percent of Democratic voters oppose the war on Iran, yet Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries actively worked to derail and delay the War Powers resolution introduced by Rand Paul and Tim Kaine. According to reporting by Aída Chávez, Democratic leadership tried to postpone the vote until after the war was already underway because they weren't personally interested in defying the elite security consensus, despite knowing the antiwar position was popular with the base. The Republican-controlled Senate voted down this resolution on Wednesday. This war has already killed more than a thousand Iranians and at least six Americans, driven gas prices to $3.25 per gallon, and could become another forever war according to Trump himself. Schumer's response has been remarkably weak, merely noting the administration hadn't provided critical details about the threat. This stands in contrast to stronger statements from Democratic colleagues like Rashida Tlaib, who called this an illegal war of aggression, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who agreed it was unlawful, and Bernie Sanders who said Israel should not be directing American war policy. Schumer's recent tepid statements belie his own role in enabling this war. In 2015, he voted against and stridently denounced Barack Obama's peace deal with Iran, which successfully prevented Iranian nuclear weapons development in exchange for sanctions relief. Politico reported that Schumer lobbied harder against the 2015 Iran deal than any Republican did. As recently as last summer, he was taunting Trump on Iran from the right, worrying Trump was folding and tacitly supporting bombing Iran according to reporting by The Intercept. Democratic voters deserve leadership that reflects their values and priorities. I urge you to support new Senate Democratic leadership that will effectively oppose illegal wars lacking public support.