Lewis opposed the U.S. waging of the 1991 Gulf War , and the 2000 trade agreement with China that passed the House . He opposed the Clinton administration on NAFTA and welfare reform . After welfare reform passed , Lewis was described as outraged ; he said , " Where is the sense of decency ? What does it profit a great nation to conquer the world , only to lose its soul ? " In 1994 , when Clinton was considering invading Haiti , Lewis , in contrast to the Congressional Black Caucus as a whole , opposed armed intervention . When Clinton did send troops to Haiti , Lewis called for supporting the troops and called the intervention a " mission of peace " . In 1998 , when Clinton was considering a military strike against Iraq , Lewis said he would back the president if American forces were ordered into action . In 2001 , three days after the September 11 attacks , Lewis voted to give Bush authority to retaliate in a vote that was 420 – 1 ; Lewis called it probably one of his toughest votes . In 2002 , he sponsored the Peace Tax Fund bill , a conscientious objection to military taxation initiative that had been reintroduced yearly since 1972 . Lewis was a " fierce partisan critic of President Bush " and the Iraq war . The Associated Press said he was " the first major House figure to suggest impeaching George W. Bush , " arguing that the president " deliberately , systematically violated the law " in authorizing the National Security Agency to conduct wiretaps without a warrant . Lewis said , " He is not king , he is president . " Lewis draws on his historical involvement in the Civil Rights Movement as part of his politics . He " makes an annual pilgrimage to Alabama to retrace the route he marched in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery – a route Lewis has since had declared part of the Historic National Trails program . That trip has become one of the hottest tickets in Washington among lawmakers , Republican and Democrat , eager to associate themselves with Lewis and the movement . ' We do n't deliberately set out to win votes , but it 's very helpful , ' Lewis said of the trip . " . In recent years , however , Faith and Politics Institute has drawn criticism for selling seats on the trip to lobbyists for at least $ 25,000 each . According to the Center for Public Integrity , even Lewis said that he would feel " much better " if the institute 's funding came from churches and foundations instead of corporations
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
John Lewis (civil rights leader)