At the October 18 “No Kings Day” protest in Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin members met with Rep. Gwen Moore urging her to support H.R. 3565, the Block the Bombs Act. Her response - “What good would it do?”

Well, here is our answer:

First, the bill is timely and targeted. H.R. 3565, introduced on May 21, 2025 by Rep. Delia Ramirez, would limit transfers of specific offensive weapons to Israel, including 2,000lb “bunker-buster” bombs and JDAM kits; the very weapons causing mass civilian casualties. This bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee with dozens of Democratic co-sponsors, including Wisconsin’s Rep. Mark Pocan, but Rep. Gwen Moore is notably not among them. 

Second, the bill would do something concrete. It would stop the flow of deadly weapons used to flatten neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, and refugee camps. Regardless of one's politics, we must agree that U.S. weapons should not be used to starve, displace, and kill civilians. Leading human rights and faith organizations, from Amnesty International to the Friends Committee on National Legislation, support this bill because it leverages the power we actually have: control over weapons transfers. 

Third, the bill would shift the debate in Washington. Power shifts when representatives take public positions and rally around practical solutions. Recent votes on arms sales in the Senate show this. While the measures may have failed, growing numbers of lawmakers have begun voting against sending weapons to Israel based on humanitarian concerns; something we could only have dreamed of a few years ago. Co-sponsorship sets the stage for hearings, media scrutiny, and amendments that drive policy toward peace and away from blank-check military spending. 

So yes, it would do good, and Milwaukee knows this. We are a city that sees the consequences of prioritizing the military-industrial complex: underfunded social services, bloated “defense” budgets, and politics that too often treat people's lives in distant countries as expendable. We see the images from Gaza of children without limbs, neighborhoods reduced to rubble, and aid convoys blocked and ask, “What are our tax dollars doing?” The reality is that weapons purchased with our tax dollars are part of it, but they don't have to be. 

We respect Rep. Moore's long service and stated support for a ceasefire and negotiated peace, but statements aren't policy. As the U.S. continues to send weapons to Israel, calling for a ceasefire without a vote to stop weapons shipments is an empty promise. H.R. 3565 is the bare minimum; it stops shipments of the deadliest weapons that cause the most indiscriminate harm unless Israel complies with U.S. and international law. This is common-sense oversight consistent with American values: protect civilians, uphold the law, and don't write blank checks for endless human suffering. 

Our ask is simple. Rep. Moore, co-sponsor H.R. 3565. If you don't think it will pass, help get the votes. If you think it won't matter, make it matter. Put enforceable limits on weapons that are killing civilians. That is the job. 

Milwaukee deserves representation that uses their power to prevent civilian harm. Co-sponsoring is the bare minimum. Let's start there.