WHEREAS:
Investments in public services and infrastructure promote broad-based prosperity by creating opportunities for people to earn more money, get health care, child care and long-term care for their families, find stable and affordable housing and ensure their children get a good education. In contrast, in communities starved for public investment, the gap between the rich and everybody else balloons and working families struggle to afford the basics; and
WHEREAS:
The Trump administration has carried out the largest disinvestment in public services and personnel in America’s history. In the name of efficiency, Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has cut 335,000 federal employees — 10% of the U.S. government workforce — doing critical work at agencies like the Internal Revenue Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Education and many others. The cuts have disrupted critical services, cost lives and created inefficiencies, prompting the government in many cases to hastily rehire certain federal employees they had let go; and
WHEREAS:
Through the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act and other actions, Congress and the administration cut $1 trillion in taxes for the rich while cutting more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and other health insurance programs and letting critical help paying for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace premiums expire. These cuts will result in more than 14 million more Americans going without health insurance. Congress and the president also cut off food aid for millions of American families and abandoned investments in infrastructure including renewable energy initiatives, all while causing the federal budget deficit to balloon by $4 trillion over the next decade; and
WHEREAS:
The president has requested $1.5 trillion in funding for the Defense Department in fiscal year 2026-2027, an increase of more than 40% over current levels, while calling for double-digit cuts to agencies providing health care, housing and food assistance; and
WHEREAS:
The Trump administration has admitted to spending $37 billion so far on its war with Iran, while independent estimates put the direct cost at more than $100 billion. Americans have borne hundreds of billions of dollars in additional costs through higher gas prices and other economic impacts, and the worldwide economic impact is estimated at $2.2 trillion so far; and
WHEREAS:
The human cost of the war in Iran eclipses these financial costs, with an estimated 8,000 to 18,000 people killed across the Middle East, including at least 18 U.S. servicemembers, and tens of thousands injured. Missile and drone attacks have destroyed thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, houses of worship and public infrastructure; and
WHEREAS:
The administration failed to provide a clear and consistent rationale for initiating the Iran war, has yet to offer a realistically attainable objective for it, and has ignored its legal obligations to Congress concerning the conduct of the war. Trump’s prosecution of the war has strained relations with U.S. allies and worsened our strategic position with Iran; and
WHEREAS:
The U.S. government has carried out dozens of illegal airstrikes against boats operating in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September 2025, killing hundreds of people without due process or evidence of an imminent threat; and
WHEREAS:
The U.S. in January 2026 carried out a military attack on Venezuela, deploying more than 100 aircraft to invade the country in violation of the UN Charter. In discussing the action, Trump invoked the Monroe Doctrine justifying U.S. dominance over Latin America. Trump subsequently renewed calls for the U.S. to intervene in Colombia, Mexico, Cuba and Greenland, further destabilizing international relations.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That AFSCME condemns President Trump and his administration for initiating illegal wars, attacking civilian infrastructure and threatening to invade and take over sovereign nations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME calls on Congress, the president and all candidates seeking federal office to invest in our communities, not war. Congress must restore staffing and enhance funding for public services that support the creation of good jobs and address the cost of housing, health care, child care and long-term care, and insist that the administration deploy the funds as appropriated; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That AFSCME opposes this administration’s war in Iran, invasion of Venezuela, blockade of Cuba, invasion of Lebanon, illegal airstrikes on boats and threats of further military action. We call on Congress to assume its constitutional role over war powers to put an end to these wars and stop the administration from starting new wars of choice.
SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board
Juliet White, President and Delegate
Sheera Glass, Secretary and Delegate
AFSCME Local 154, District Council 37
New York
Jackie Tate, President and Delegate
Hilary Zust, Secretary and Delegate
AFSCME Local 88, Council 75
Oregon