As protests broke out across American cities on Wednesday, veterans in cities such as Portland, Oregon and San Antonio, Texas have joined a growing chorus of national anger about the prospect of another Middle Eastern war and called on Democratic leaders to act swiftly to invoke the War Powers Act.

The demonstrations have been organized by groups like About Face, which describes itself as “post-9/11 military members and veterans organizing to end a foreign policy of permanent war,” and Veterans for Peace, “a global organization of military veterans” that seeks to “inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars.”