by Brian Garvey
At a time when unauthorized wars, runaway Pentagon spending, and the growing danger of nuclear conflict threaten our country and the world, Massachusetts needs a senator willing to challenge militarism and fight for diplomacy.
That is why Massachusetts Peace Action endorses Senator Ed Markey for re-election to the United States Senate.
MAPA does not make endorsements lightly. We have worked closely with Senator Markey and his staff throughout his time in the Senate. Over the course of his career, Markey has demonstrated a serious and consistent commitment to reducing nuclear dangers, restoring Congress’s constitutional authority over decisions of war, opposing excessive military spending, and investing in human needs.
Markey has long been one of the Senate’s leading advocates for nuclear disarmament. He has worked to prevent a president from launching a nuclear first strike without congressional authorization, reduce spending on unnecessary nuclear weapons programs, halt explosive nuclear testing, and limit the over-budget Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program. These are not symbolic issues. Nuclear weapons remain an existential threat to humanity, and Markey has consistently treated that threat with the seriousness it deserves.
Markey has also been a leader in the effort to restore Congress’s constitutional authority over war. When Donald Trump launched an unauthorized war against Iran in February 2026, Markey immediately called the attack illegal and unconstitutional. He repeatedly voted for War Powers Resolutions requiring an end to the conflict and argued that Congress, not one president acting alone, must decide whether the United States goes to war.
When Trump threatened that Iran’s “whole civilization will die,” Markey went beyond another carefully worded letter or expression of concern. He called for Congress to remove Trump from office for his genocidal threat, standing side by side with Massachusetts Peace Action. At a moment of extreme danger, Markey understood that threats against an entire people demanded more than business as usual.
Markey was also willing to call for de-escalation in October 2023, when much of Washington was consumed by war fever. As the assault on Gaza continued, he called for a ceasefire and repeatedly voted for Joint Resolutions of Disapproval intended to block the transfer of large bombs and other offensive weapons to Israel. From November 2024 through April 2026, Markey supported four separate rounds of resolutions challenging these weapons sales and asserting Congress’s authority over U.S. military assistance.
Those votes mattered. They helped transform opposition to unconditional weapons shipments from a position held by only a few members of Congress into a growing movement within the Senate and the Democratic Party. Thanks to the leadership of members of Congress like Senator Markey the entire Massachusetts delegation, both in the Senate and House, have now voted against weapons to Israel.
Markey has also challenged the enormous amount of money poured into the Pentagon and nuclear weapons while urgent human needs remain unmet. He has proposed reducing wasteful military and nuclear spending and redirecting resources toward education, climate action, and other programs that make people safer in their daily lives. In June, he introduced the Slash the Pentagon Act, which would cut Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion military budget in half and cap Pentagon spending at $750 billion. The bill makes clear that the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on unnecessary weapons and wars could instead provide healthcare, feed hungry families, expand education, improve transportation, and meet the real needs of people across the country. As a co-author of the Green New Deal, he has helped build the connection between climate justice, economic justice, and peace.
In the Democratic primary, Markey’s principal opponent is Sixth District Congressman Seth Moulton.
We recognize and welcome several recent votes by Moulton, including his July 2026 vote to remove $3.3 billion in annual military financing for Israel and his opposition to a bloated version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the House Armed Services Committee.
Those votes do not erase the broader differences between the candidates. Moulton voted for the 2024 Israel military aid package and later voted for the final 2026 NDAA. Markey, by contrast, has spent decades building a record on nuclear disarmament, arms control, diplomacy, congressional war powers, and reducing wasteful military spending.
On the issues at the heart of Massachusetts Peace Action’s mission: preventing war, reducing the danger of nuclear annihilation, challenging excessive Pentagon spending, supporting diplomacy, and defending Congress’s constitutional responsibilities, Ed Markey is clearly the stronger candidate.
Massachusetts Peace Action is proud to endorse Senator Ed Markey for re-election. We urge our members and supporters to vote for him in the Democratic primary on September 1 and to work to make sure we continue to be represented in the US Senate by his strong voice for peace.
Brian Garvey is the executive director of Massachusetts Peace Action