Action: Curb the Runaway Military Budget
Members of Congress from both major political parties have finally found an issue they agree on. Unfortunately, that issue is the need to spend more money on the military.
Right now, as part of budget proposals for 2008 and supplemental appropriations for 2007, nearly a trillion dollars is on the table to pay for current military operations and past wars. Members of Congress aren’t shocked. Members on both sides of the aisle are entertaining proposals to increase those numbers to something truly impressive.
The desire among members of Congress to “support the troops” can’t explain why this bloated budget is necessary. Medical facilities like Walter Reed Army hospital, stretched to the limits to care for soldiers injured in the Iraq war, cannot get the resources they need to keep up with burgeoning demand. Instead, about one-third of the military budget proposed for 2008 would support next-generation weapons and transport systems that have nothing to do with the troops on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan. This budget subsidizes defense-industry companies here in the U.S. that are making record-breaking profits.
This runaway military budget comes at the expense of investing in programs to feed the hungry, allowing low-income parents to work by giving them access to safe and affordable child care, and addressing looming challenges such as climate change and health care. These kinds of investments, not more money for waging wars, would provide true human security.
Take Action
Contact your representative and senators today. Urge them to reduce military spending by at least $60 billion this year to make room for investments in real human security.
Find Out More
Contacting Legislators
Contact your members of Congress through FCNL's web site.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Sen. ________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Rep. ________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
|
