1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you not only to support HB1111, the Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2025, but to actively champion this legislation and raise public awareness about its critical importance. As the executive branch pursues policies that deepen divisions and escalate tensions across our nation, we need legislative leadership that will counter this dangerous trajectory with concrete institutional mechanisms for peace. This bill would establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding with seven specialized offices addressing peace education, domestic and international peacebuilding, arms control and disarmament, and human rights. The legislation mandates that at least 85 percent of appropriated funds support domestic peace programs, directing resources toward violence prevention initiatives, conflict resolution training, and support services for victims of violence in our communities. The Department would create essential coordination through a Federal Interagency Committee on Peace and provide technical assistance to state, tribal, and local governments through an Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace. Critically, the Secretary of Peacebuilding must be consulted before policies that may lead to violence are initiated, establishing a formal check on decisions that could inflame conflict. This consultation process with the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council represents a necessary counterbalance to escalatory impulses. Students from pre-kindergarten through higher education would benefit from peace curricula, while communities experiencing violence would gain access to Community Peace Block Grants for local prevention initiatives. Educational institutions could apply for grants to establish peace studies departments, building expertise in conflict resolution strategies. I urge you to cosponsor HB1111, speak publicly about its importance, and work to build bipartisan support for this legislation. Use your platform to educate constituents and colleagues about how institutionalizing peacebuilding addresses systemic drivers of violence including poverty, discrimination, and weapons proliferation. At this moment of national crisis, we need representatives who will actively promote alternatives to the divisive and dangerous path we are on.