Move On – April 8, 2026

Posted on April 8, 2026

Dear MoveOn member,

In the past 72 hours, Trump has escalated tensions with Iran to the brink—then took to Truth Social to declare he would “wipe Iran off the map as a civilization.”1 That’s not just reckless or careless. It’s a direct threat of mass violence, an abuse of power, and grounds for his removal under the 25th Amendment.2

Now, after global outrage, a temporary ceasefire is in place.3 While this is good news and shows the power of grassroots pressure, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are still poised to escalate substantially regarding this war.

This is a threshold moment where the tide can turn. Here’s what’s happening right now in Congress:

  • The White House and the Pentagon are seeking additional funds at various spending levels from Congress to push Trump’s billion-dollar-a-day war.4
  • There are continuous votes around war powers resolutions—bills that restore checks and balances by allowing Congress to authorize war and war spending, reining in Trump.
  • There’s also the introduction of joint resolutions of disapproval, which would be a fast-track path in Congress to block specific actions by the president after they happen. In this case, there’s resolutions that would seek to block the spending of money for offensive weapons used to harm civilians in Iran and Lebanon.
  • Republican leadership is largely falling in line behind Trump, but cracks are showing among rank-and-file members.

Here’s our strategy to stop this war by applying pressure at every point of leverage, all at once:

  1. Cut off the money & force accountability. We’re asking for members of Congress to go on the record against any supplemental or additional funding for Trump’s war. No hedging, no loopholes. “Not a single taxpayer dollar can go toward funding this war” should be the baseline. This represents where constituents across party lines are.
  2. Fracture the Trump/MAGA coalition. Push Republicans to break with Trump under pressure from their own constituents.
  3. Escalate public pressure. Make ending this war a moral and political necessity for anyone in power. They’re beholden to constituents and the majority of Americans who oppose this senseless war.

Trump is the architect of this war, and Pete Hegseth and the rest of Trump’s administration are doing his bidding and driving it forward. But they can’t sustain it without Congress.

Here’s what you can do right now:

  • Join the national phone bank TOMORROW at 6 PM ET. We’re calling fellow MoveOn members in Republican-led states to demand their senators push back against Trump’s rhetoric, support legislation that stops this war in its tracks, and oppose this war loudly for the sake of their constituents.
  • Send a letter to your member of Congress. Send a letter to say NO war with Iran and demand Congress pass legislation that ends Trump’s war.
  • Use and share our No Forever Wars site. Learn the facts and messaging around Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s failed national security agenda and destabilizing foreign policy.
  • Check our accountability tracker/whipcount page.Constituent pressure continues to be one of the most effective ways to show your member of Congress what’s important to you. If your representative or senator aren’t listed, give them a call. We have simple talking points for what you can say on the website!

This is the story of our movement in action, coming together at a crisis moment and fighting back against authoritarian might, regardless of everything this administration does to prevent and discourage dissent. Every call, every message, and every action we take now is part of this movement that refuses to back down against Trump.

We have two weeks to keep up the pressure and end this war before the ceasefire is over. This moment requires all of us, including people we don’t have on our list. Please share and forward this email to triple our efforts to combat Trump’s rhetoric and demand members of Congress do their jobs to hold him accountable to the American people.

Thanks for all you do.

–Nakia, Alexis, Amy, Tes, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “Trump issues an expletive-filled threat against Iran as details of US aviator’s rescue emerge,” Associated Press, April 5, 2026
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-april-5-2026-pilot-cf4a792196259d6e9c066d0be1c57962

2. “An eclectic, bipartisan group suddenly calls for removing Trump using the 25th Amendment,” CNN, April 7, 2026
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/07/politics/25th-amendment-trump-iran-war

3. “US and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire as Trump pulls back on threats,” Associated Press, April 7, 2026 https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-april-7-2026-421ee64fdc9a5c26460df8119c7d1b3f

4. “Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war,” The Washington Post. March 18, 2026
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/18/iran-cost-budget-pentagon/

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