[[link removed]]

Watch Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Rev. William J. Barber, & others introduce the plan on Facebook Live. [[link removed]]
Watch Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rev. William J. Barber, & others introduce the plan on Facebook Live [[link removed]] .
John,
The Pentagon can’t save us now.
We’ve spent far too much on bombs, planes, and ships, and far too little on health care, education, housing, and infrastructure. We can’t bomb our way out of a pandemic, or racist policing and policies, or climate chaos, or an economic catastrophe that threatens to swallow the entire world. It’s past time to make better choices. Our lives depend on it.
And now, months into this crisis, something is shifting.
Finally, members of Congress are pushing for what seemed untouchable for decades: cutting the bloated military budget, which is currently on track for a monstrously large $740.5 billion next year, more than almost any point since WWII.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey, along with Reps. Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan, have introduced a plan that calls for a 10% cut in Pentagon spending [[link removed]] to reinvest in America’s most distressed communities.
Watch Live video of the event that announced this groundbreaking push on Monday, featuring Rev. William J. Barber and our #PeopleOverPentagon coalition partners. [[link removed][0]=68.ARBkkVWIe7cpwtLMwlhiF43vR-rXpfQykdSzFZs5lA5E8tOkLUR0Ec2v_kuAi09EtsYGFw83NajfMtTG1UGnTY3DWDkieYgd-d6ha-_blCj0N1Wuulher8vxEVpz3C5Fg1Ouqh3ZDqNYuVjPcDbEBCsbSB_aWGha8o_UYsxLyNgZPShbd_6fHWG6AkyTMm5yJJOqU9PisJNGP-V_cu7u3h5TFelc_sqLnVLeQZsRajAJJU21ItSgbSkd_JTUEQB66W4limZv2nv8MuhThAndosPBojbe4Ii7mgOFOUeiPcASmzoNX-FOMBTXfjKQLiaGsDJigBlWHyHOz0gzWOKb4aoc4Vo&__tn__=-R]
10% is a modest cut — but it’s a huge political shift, after many years of ballooning military budgets passed with bipartisan consensus and little real opposition.
It’s an abomination that many members of Congress are ready to fork over three-quarters of a trillion dollars to the Pentagon, which has so much waste and problematic spending that a $74 billion cut would barely put a dent in most military operations.
But $74 billion would free up massive resources [[link removed]] against true threats, like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate chaos, and help protect people and communities who are suffering during this unprecedented economic crisis.
A 10% cut is so reasonable that no one should say no.
But a House panel approved plans for the full $740 billion last night [[link removed]] , to be considered by the full House of Representatives in two weeks.
And the Senate is likely to vote today on its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, with that whopping increase intact.
Contact your senators TODAY [[link removed]] to let them know what you think — why should the already bloated Pentagon get a raise while our government fails to deal with so many real crises?
1.
In
your
call
or
email
[[link removed]]
,
feel
free
to
adapt
language
from
this
coalition
letter
from
over
60
organizations
[[link removed]]
who
have
signed
on
in
support
of
the
10%
cut.
2.
Post
Facebook
comments
or
tweets
to
your
Senators
about
this!
On
Twitter,
use
#FY21NDAA
[[link removed]]
.
As we call for such an obvious change, we’re laying the groundwork for even more fundamental transformation of our national budget priorities.
Last year, we laid out a proposal for much bigger Pentagon cuts — $350 billion [[link removed]] , to be exact, as Rev. Barber mentioned [[link removed]] in Monday’s announcement.
And last month, Rep. Barbara Lee introduced that goal to Congress [[link removed]] , with support from principled members like the rising stars of the Squad, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley.
That sets a clear horizon for the years ahead, beyond whatever Congress decides this month.
In such uncertain times, it’s up to all of us to stay strong together and keep building our vision for the world we really want.
10% we’re organizing to win this year.
In such uncertain times, it’s up to all of us to stay strong together to envision the world we really want.
In solidarity,
Lindsay, Lorah, Ashik, and the NPP team at IPS


P.S. NPP runs on readers like you.
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