Our Mission
Bring Our Troops Home is an organization composed of veterans of the Global War on Terror and their civilian allies who are dedicated to ending American involvement in our endless wars in the Middle East and bringing our troops home. We insist that the Constitution of the United States be respected and enforced, requiring a formal declaration of war by Congress before U.S. military forces are deployed into combat overseas. And we are committed to returning to a foreign policy befitting a limited government republic, one that puts “America First.”
To achieve these goals, Bring Our Troops Home will utilize public education, political action, and legislation, including passing “Defend the Guard” bills in state houses across the country.
Below you will find national politicians whose words and actions share our pro-veteran, “America First” message.
“The reason a lot of people in this country don’t think about our foreign policy and the impact of it is because they don’t know, perhaps, that we still have soldiers, we still have troops who are deploying.”
“These are men and women, of all ages, who are willing to put their lives on the line for our country — incredible, incredible people who are putting service above self.”
“They are why it’s so important, so critical that we honor their service, that we honor their great sacrifice, by making sure that they are only sent on missions that serve the interests of the American people, that keep us safe, and that we end these regime change wars that have proven so costly in so many ways.”
“I will do everything I possibly can to bring them home as safely and quickly as possible, to bring about this change in our foreign policy so that our troops are not continuously sent off to fight in these regime change wars, that the missions they are sent on are truly worthy of the great sacrifices they and their families are making.”
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Iraq War veteran and 2020 Democratic candidate for President
“Our Founding Fathers intended that the power to commit a nation to war be lodged in Congress, and that’s what the Constitution says. The power to declare war is one of the most important powers given to Congress, and it should remain with Congress.”
“I don’t think one generation should bind another generation to war. I don’t think that the resolution of 2001 has anything to do with the seven different wars we’re involved with now.”
“If the War Caucus, the Lindsey Grahams and the Liz Cheneys, if they want to go to war, they should come to Congress and decide who we’re going to attack and where the war is.”
“I’m convinced that there is a majority of the American people who believes as I do and many of you do that we’ve been at war too long and in too many places. I think there is a possability for changing things.”
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, 2016 Republican candidate for President
“Every president runs saying we’re going to get out of these foreign interventions. And the American people seem to like that message. And then they get to the presidency, Democrat or Republican, and they don’t make the changes they promised when they campaigned.”
“I do think we need more people in both parties with that kind of courage that says on matters of war and peace, we have a constitutional duty before an obligation to party.”
“The American public is hungry for leadership that is going to stop these foreign interventions.”
“If there was mobilization around this country…saying it’s in our national interest not to be engaged in military interventionism and that you can run for Congress, you can run for the Senate, you can run for the Presidency, and be seen as strong national security while advocating military restraint, I think that would go a long way.”
Rep. Ro Khanna of California
“If the members of our armed services have the courage to go and fight and die in these wars, as Congress we ought to have the courage to vote for them or against them. And I think it’s ludicrous to suggest that we are impairing the troops from doing their job by not doing our job articulated in the Constitution to speak to these matters of war and peace.”
“It is my sincere hope that we not only reduce our troop levels to 2,500, but that we reduce them to zero. That we leave Afghanistan. This has been the longest war in our nation’s history. Our country is weary of it, even if the Armed Services Committee is not.”
“America’s fighting men and women are so precious that they should not have to die in some failed state — some faraway land that most Americans can’t even point to on a map — so that defense contractors can extend our involvement in these wars, so that lobbyists can get rich, and so that members of Congress can get reelected.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
“I agree with you.”
“Let me tell you why I share your feelings. We’ve been at this now for over two decades, trying to replicate that success in the Middle East, and what do we have to show for it? A goose egg.”
“If you’re going to give somebody a gift of democracy, a free market system, human rights, of basic rights stated in our Bill of Rights and Constitution, they’ve got to want it, and if they don’t want it, it doesn’t matter how much you shovel at them, it isn’t going to happen.”
“We’ve spent $2 trillion in Afghanistan, and we’ve shed lots of American blood there. I’m with you. I am through trying to do nation-building with countries that don’t want it. They’ve got to show some type of appreciation, some type of embracement of it, and they simply don’t.”
Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
“What [our troops] don’t deserve is blundering, inching towards accidentally escalating into another war in the Middle East. So we are doing what we ought to do by our troops and their families by taking this more seriously than we have in the past. We’ve been in autopilot in wars for 18 years.”
“If we’re to order our young men and women in uniform to risk their lives and health in war, it should be on the basis of careful deliberation.”
“Congress has a responsibility to not only vote to authorize new military action, but to repeal old authorizations that are no longer necessary.”
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, 2020 Democratic nominee for Vice President
“I think we are, as a Congress, at risk of putting ourselves out of the business of helping to set and conduct the foreign policy of this nation.”
“Decisions over whether to attack sovereign nations or whether to send American troops to war, those are not decisions for the Executive Branch to make. These are decisions that the Constitution vests only in the United States Congress.”
“The Endless War cheerleaders have been saying for 15 years that if we just stay in Afghanistan a little longer, the Taliban will give up and the Afghan government will get their act together. And they will say it for the next 15 years if we leave our troops there indefinitely.”
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut
Testimonials
“You’ve got the power in Charleston [West Virginia] to say, ‘We will not permit our national guard to be federalized unless there’s a declaration of war.' They owe it to their citizens and their constituents to take care of them and protect them from things like that. And I would have their ass if they didn’t.”
Brig. Gen. John "Doc" Bahnsen
Decorated Vietnam War Hero
"We've heard so much about—for the last 40 years—support the troops. In those 40 years the way to support the troops was to bring them home from the war they were fighting and should not have been fighting. You've brought to my attention recently...a group called BringOurTroopsHome.US. Sounds very good to me."
Daniel Ellsberg
Pentagon Papers Whistleblower