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John,
Five months ago, the U.S. left Afghanistan and ended a twenty-year war. Today, we stand at the brink of another one as the situation in Ukraine grows more dire.
We have to stop this endless loop. A military response in Ukraine threatens to undermine diplomatic efforts to resolve that crisis, and threatens countless Ukrainian lives. But our endless appetite for international conflict also shortchanges the investments in people that we need to thrive.
At the end of 2021, Congress failed to pass a $170 billion-a-year investment in families, child care, and climate, while a vast bipartisan majority approved a Pentagon budget more than four times as high.
We are here to change that, and we need your help – so we are launching the first National Priorities Project newsletter to share our work. You’ll be hearing from us once a month about how your tax dollars underwrite war and draconian law enforcement, instead of protecting public health, slowing climate change, or ending poverty.
You’ll also hear about the movements that are leading the fight to change our priorities - movements like the Poor People’s Campaign, Defund Hate, and climate activists.
The key to changing our national priorities is to change the budget. We’re proud to link arms with these movements to build a safer, more just world, and we’re so grateful you’re with us.
Peace,
Lindsay, Ashik, and Lorah
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THIS WEEK'S TRADEOFF
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When Senator Joe Manchin blocked the passage of the Build Back Better Act, he did more than block funding for pro-family tax credits, health care, child care, home care, clean energy and more. He also signaled that in a country that spends $81 billion each year for our military to guard the world’s oil supply, we aren’t willing to spend two-thirds as much — $55 billion per year — to transition from fossil fuels.
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CIVILIANS KILLED IN U.S. POST-9/11 WARS
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More than 20 years after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, more than 900,000 lives have been lost to the fighting - many of them civilians. Recent reporting by The New York Times has shed light on the U.S. military’s failure to follow its own rules, and the civilian deaths that resulted. The legacy of the post 9/11 wars is one of destruction. In our September report, we found that the U.S. had spent $21 trillion on foreign and domestic militarization, including wars, violence against immigrants, and racial profiling, since 9/11.
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PENTAGON CUTS REQUIRE A
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Real cuts to Pentagon spending will require a new kind of foreign policy - one that prioritizes diplomacy and humanitarian aid over war and intimidation. This month, Representative Barbara Lee and Representative Pramila Jayapal introduced a resolution to implement a progressive foreign policy that cuts Pentagon spending. As Congresswoman Lee said, “It’s far past time we take our foreign policy into the 21st century. We should be leading with diplomacy and human needs as the path to global security. The post 9/11 wars taught us that perpetual war takes countless lives, wastes trillions of dollars and does not make us any safer. To combat the challenges we face around the globe — like climate change, global health, and poverty — we should be investing our resources away from tanks and drones and towards the needs of people.”
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"It is difficult to contain my feelings of anger and outrage when I hear lawmakers denigrate low and middle income individuals and families as 'moochers' on the take when they are willing to allocate billions to wealthy corporations with literally no strings attached."
Sister Karen M. Donahue,
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RECOMMENDED READS
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“Invest in Climate Solutions Now or Pay the Price for Inaction Later”
Lorah Steichen, National Priorities blog
“From Climate Crisis to COVID-19, Our Militarized Budget Fuels Injustice”
Samantha Garcia, National Priorities blog
“What would US intervention in Ukraine really look like?”
Responsible Statecraft
“Martin Luther King Jr., Internationalist”
Khury Peterson-Smith, Foreign Policy in Focus
“Yes, There Were 10 Good Things About 2021”
Medea Benjamin, Common Dreams
“A Dam in Syria Was on a ‘No- Strike’ List. The U.S. Bombed It Anyway.”
Dave Philipps, Azmat Khan and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times
“Democrats ask Biden to overhaul counterterrorism, drone strike strategy”
Caroline Vakil, The Hill
“Jayapal, Lee Resolution Promotes More Peaceful US Foreign Policy”
Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams
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National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/
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