Has the Pentagon Paid Its Fair Share?

7/12/2012

Today, a coalition of Pentagon contractor launched an ad campaign designed to preserve their profit margins at the expense of the elderly, children, and people with disabilities in our communities – even veterans would feel the pinch.

The ads argue that the Pentagon has already paid its fair share of deficit reductions, and it shouldn’t be asked to pay any more.

But what’s fair?

Is it fair to ask people who depend on food stamps to feed their children to get by with less, so the Pentagon budget can keep growing?

Is it fair to cut funding from programs that help veterans find housing and jobs when they return from war, so the Pentagon can continue to waste or lose track of billions of dollars, as several reports have documented?

Is it fair to let our nation's bridges and other infrastructure continue to crumble while our government continues to pay tens of billions of dollars to Pentagon contractors for advanced weapons systems that even the military doesn't think it needs?

Write your senators and let them know you want the Pentagon to pay its real fair share. And ask your friends to write too.

The reductions these contractors are protesting – $1 trillion over the next 10 years – would only bring Pentagon spending back to what it was in 2007, at the height of the Iraq War. And if Pentagon spending isn’t cut by at least this much, Congress is likely to shift the cuts to “non-defense” spending – which has already seen huge budgets cuts.

Every day, contractors and their lobbyists are on the Hill and in congressional offices across the country, talking about how important Pentagon spending is to that member’s state and district. We’ve heard from members of Congress that they are hearing the voice of contractors loud and clear – but they aren’t hearing as much from people like you, and they need to hear those voices too.

After you write your senators and let them know you want the Pentagon to pay its real fair share, ask others in your community to write as well and make sure your voices are heard in Congress.

Many members of Congress understand what choice they face – and what could happen if they try to reduce the deficit only on the backs of the most vulnerable in our society. Yet members of Congress also do listen to their constituents and if the dominant voice from their districts is arguing against Pentagon cuts then they may be swayed to vote that way.

You can play a key role in these policy decisions by working with FCNL to create a constant stream of respectful, reasoned messages to Congress that the Pentagon must pay its fair share in any effort to cut the Pentagon budget.

Sincerely,

Jim Cason
Associate Executive Secretary for Campaigns