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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 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.
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 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, 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 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?
- In your call or email, feel free to adapt language from this coalition letter from over 60 organizations who have signed on in support of the 10% cut.
- Post Facebook comments or tweets to your Senators about this! On Twitter, use #FY21NDAA.
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, to be exact, as Rev. Barber mentioned in Monday’s announcement.
And last month, Rep. Barbara Lee introduced that goal to Congress, 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.
In solidarity,
Lindsay, Lorah, Ashik, and the NPP team at IPS
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