Your Signature is needed: Cut the bloated military budget and reinvest in communities
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11:42 AM (32 minutes ago)
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Dear Peter,
Tell Congress to cut the bloated military budget and reinvest in communities!
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Military spending is out of control. An obscene amount is spent on the Pentagon -- and Congress is poised to authorize a massive $741 billion military budget!
Senators Sanders, Markey, and Warren in the Senate and Representatives Lee and Pocan in the House have introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would cut the topline Pentagon budget by 10 percent, bringing the total down by $74 billion dollars.
Decreasing the military budget could mean shifting resources toward a more just and sustainable society. Funding could be directed towards communities on the frontlines of climate disaster, a just transition for fossil fuel workers and communities, and a shift toward 100 percent renewable energy -- in addition to much needed investment in healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.
Tell Congress: Support the proposed cut to the Pentagon budget!
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The United States military is one of the largest polluters and consumers of fossil fuels in the world. In 2017, the US military purchased over 269,000 barrels of oil a day. Endless wars in the period following 9/11 have emitted the equivalent of over 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.
By reducing wasteful military spending, we can prioritize peoples’ and planetary health by shifting our economy off fossil fuels, dedicating resources to climate crisis mitigation.
The amount spent on the military budget is more than the entire discretionary federal budget -- including what we spend on education, federal courts, affordable housing, and local economic development combined. It is also more than what the next 11 countries spend combined. This is money that should be invested in local communities, supporting a Green New Deal, and supporting workers during a time of crisis.
Currently, the military budget is 90 times higher than the budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more urgent to fund education, housing, and healthcare for communities hit the hardest.
Demand Congress cut military spending and reinvest in communities!
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In total, the United States has spent $6.4 trillion dollars on fighting unnecessary and ill-advised wars abroad. Despite the massive sums of money spent on the military, the Pentagon has never passed a financial audit. It is time to cut the Pentagon budget and reallocate those funds to address the needs of communities facing ecological and societal crisis -- instead of senseless wars.
The connection between militarism and environmental destruction, which communities of color disproportionately bear the brunt of, cannot be ignored. As the United States reckons with its long history of violence against Black and Brown communities -- and calls to defund the police echo across the country -- demilitarization is another tangible step toward addressing historical and ongoing injustices.
Congress must cut the bloated military budget and prioritize protecting basic human rights and the planet. Defunding the war economy is a necessary step toward building a society rooted in values of equity and justice for all.
Peter, call on Congress to prioritize people and the planet over wasteful Pentagon spending!
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For people and planet,
Gaurav Madan,
Senior economic policy campaigner,
Friends of the Earth
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