Cut the Pentagon, Not Real Security
Last night in his State of the Union address, President Obama said that the government should address the jobs crisis, fix our broken health care system, and take urgent steps to address global warming. Exactly right. Yet hidden in the president's budget proposals is a line that could undermine all of these efforts.
The president's proposal - according to some analysts1- will increase military spending, by a lot. Over the next 7 years, the United States would spend $5 trillion dollars on the military. If this sum is proved true when the administration releases its formal budget documents next week, it will mean that President Obama is spending 5% more on the military than President George W. Bush did in his last seven years as president.
Meanwhile, the president wants to freeze "non-security related" spending at current levels for the next three years. Many of the programs that could fall into this category- nutrition programs for the poor, funding for transportation and infrastructure, and energy assistance in cold winters -are critical in providing for the real, day-to-day security of people across the country.
This doesn't add up. Real security won't come from more military spending. Congress should instead be taking money out of the Pentagon and increasing support for diplomacy, development and international cooperation, expanding allocations for green jobs, environmental protection and energy efficiency, and providing additional money to meet increasing human needs, particularly at the state level.
Take Action
Ask your members of Congress to reject the president's proposal to increase Pentagon spending. Ask them to find ways to reduce the military budget so that the government has money to spend to provide real security for people in the United States.
We hope that at least 3,000 people will contact their members of Congress in the next few days opposing this proposal. Once you've taken action, please ask three friends to write Congress as well.
Background
FCNL and our colleagues have started a campaign, Our Nation's Checkbook, to shift federal spending priorities toward meeting the needs of people in the United States, preventing wars, and protecting the environment. We're working in key states and congressional districts to change the way this country allocates its financial resources. Find out how you can get involved.
Read Ruth Flower's blog post, "Mr. President – Bring Some 'Budget Discipline' to the Pentagon"
References
(1) "An Undisciplined Defense: Understanding the $2 Trillion Surge in US Defense Spending," Carl Conetta, Project for Defense Alternatives
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