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Dear John,
The president is proposing the country’s first trillion-dollar war budget.
The proposal would deliver on a promise the president made [[link removed]] in an April Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
And it pretty much debunks campaign trail promises [[link removed]] to “expel the warmongers” and “stop the war profiteering.” While those promises might have gone over well in Wisconsin, they quickly fell by the wayside.
The $1 trillion budget includes $25 billion [[link removed]] in new spending for the president’s “golden dome” missile shield, an idea with immense potential to be the next multibillion-dollar Pentagon scandal.
And that $1 trillion war budget is paired with deep cuts to other programs that would enact Elon Musk’s DOGE agenda into law. The president’s proposals [[link removed]] gut everything from the State Department and humanitarian aid, to medical research, to home heating and rental assistance for low-income people.
Worse, while DOGE’s cuts are facing serious legal challenges, if Congress enacts them, those legal challenges will become largely moot.
To make all this a reality, Congress must pass two pieces of legislation: a regular budget, and the “reconciliation” budget now under consideration. There are lots of obstacles to that happening, but the biggest one is opposition from ordinary people like you.
In solidarity,
Alliyah, Aspen, Hanna and Lindsay
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THE TRILLION DOLLAR TRADEOFF: WAR AND WEAPONS VS. BASIC NEEDS
President Trump is requesting a record-high $1.01 trillion [[link removed]] war budget for FY 2026 while gutting federal agencies and social services [[link removed]] that actually keep the country safe. Half [[link removed]] of this trillion-dollar Pentagon budget [[link removed]] will be handed over to contractors who profit from endless war and climate collapse [[link removed]] - including to billionaires like Elon Musk [[link removed]] .
While weapons manufacturers receive record-high public subsidies, too many Americans are struggling to meet their basic needs. Solutions to the greatest challenges facing American families and communities are not only possible - they’re popular.
Instead of a record-high budget for war and weapons, what could federal spending do for families and communities?
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NO NATIONAL GUARD FOR NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has authorized [[link removed]] the deployment of 60-70 members of the National Guard to the city of Albuquerque. National Guard members are set to take on non-enforcement tasks [[link removed]] in order to help increase officer availability in the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). The mission, referred to as “Operation Zia Shield,” is set to begin as soon as Memorial Day weekend.
The authorization has raised public concern [[link removed]] that collaboration between military and civilian law enforcement will further exacerbate existing problems - rather than address the root causes of public safety issues. In a state heavily impacted by economic disparity, mass incarceration and police violence, solutions cannot be found through an increase in military presence.
This partnership between the APD and the National Guard is not just a step in the wrong direction for New Mexico - it highlights skewed national priorities.
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Photo courtesy of Repairers of the Breach [[link removed]]
GOOD TROUBLE: MORAL MONDAYS AT THE U.S. CAPITOL
Faith leaders have been powerfully gathering [[link removed]] at the nation’s capital to speak up against policy violence.
Hundreds of faith leaders are condemning Republican-led proposals that would boost war, weapons, and deportations spending while gutting critical social programs. The proposals call for $157 billion to the Pentagon and mass deportations for 2026 - enough to provide Medicaid to nearly 32 million adults.
Reverend Doctor William Barber and other faith leaders launched “ Moral Mondays [[link removed]] ” at the U.S. Capitol on April 28. That day, preachers were promptly arrested [[link removed]] for praying in the Capitol rotunda. On May 5, preachers were arrested again. The Moral Mondays movement also hand-delivered [[link removed]] letters to members of Congress asking them to join a prayer with Americans who would be impacted by the proposed cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, housing, and education.
We need a budget that takes care of all of us - not a budget that benefits only those who gain from endless war and extreme wealth.
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“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
– Audre Lorde , American writer and activist
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READ/ WATCH/ LISTEN
US-China trade war is on: Could it turn violent, and when? [[link removed]]
Jake Werner, Responsible Statecraft
From Lollapalooza to Detention Camps: Meet the Tent Company Making a Fortune Off Trump’s Deportation Plans [[link removed]]
Jeff Ernsthausen, Mica Rosenberg and Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica
Army confirms military parade for its 250th anniversary will be held on Trump’s birthday [[link removed]]
Lolita C. Baldor, PBS News
More Troops Injured as U.S. Planes Keep Plunging into Red Sea [[link removed]]
Nick Turse, The Intercept
Immigrants Are Our Neighbors. Isn’t That Enough? [[link removed]]
Meredith Lehman, OtherWords
Libraries Are Priceless — And They Need Our Support [[link removed]]
Aspen-Coriz Romero, OtherWords
WATCH: “Debone, Defund, Depose” [[link removed]] featuring NPP 2025 Tax Day Receipt
Going Down with Ella Yurman
LISTEN: Trump’s Budget Cuts the Well Being of American People While Boosting Exclusion, Retribution and Destruction [[link removed]] featuring NPP’s Lindsay Koshgarian
Background Briefing with Ian Masters
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