MAHA Leaders Launch Antiwar Campaign

On Monday, leaders in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement launched a campaign to support a war powers resolution for the war in Iran. The Health Not War campaign declares that the nation’s physical health and its moral health are inseparable and calls on MAHA supporters to tell their members of Congress to vote for the war powers resolution.

MAHA-associated leaders supporting the campaign include Charles Eisenstein, the chief speechwriter for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his presidential run, Meryll Nass, M.D., a scientific advisor to Children’s Health Defense, and David Murphy, founder of United We Eat Action Fund and former finance director for RFK, Jr’s presidential campaign. The bipartisan war powers resolutions—sponsored by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the Senate and Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) in the House—would block further military action in Iran without Congressional approval and are expected to be voted on this week.

• Read the Health Not War Petition

“This war is very disappointing for a lot of people in the MAHA movement,” said Charles Eisenstein. “‘End the forever wars’ was a rallying cry in the Kennedy campaign. This country spent $8 trillion on regime-change wars after 9/11. We could have spent that on infrastructure, on safe food, clean water, and healthy soil. Instead, those wars bankrupted our nation—economically and morally. That is why we are calling on the MAHA movement to support the war powers resolutions.”

Dr. Meryl Nass offered the following statement: “Assassinating a head of state is illegal under US law.  Starting a war is illegal under the UN Charter. Both are morally repugnant. This anti-MAHA, anti-MAGA war only makes the defense industry, the energy industry and the bankers great again. It does nothing for the American people.”

“This is a critical moment to remind Republicans that putting America First also means putting the Constitution first,” said David Murphy, “The President commands the military, but Congress alone decides when the nation goes to war. When hostilities proceed without congressional authorization or an attack on the United States, honoring Congress’s constitutional role is essential to preserving democratic accountability for future generations.”

The petition invokes several principles in opposition to the Iran war, including its pragmatic risks, its economic costs, its immorality,  its public unpopularity, and its violation of the US Constitution, which grants war-making  power solely to Congress. The petition states:

“We ask our leaders and representatives to chart a new course. We call on them to turn America’s attention, money, technology, science, and resources toward rebuilding our nation from the inside out. We call on them to end these ‘forever wars’ and focus instead on building a safe, clean, healthy, and prosperous society. We call on all members of Congress, especially those who want to Make America Healthy Again, to support the Iran War Powers Resolutions.”