Lobby on Pentagon Cuts

Lobbying works! Studies show that direct meetings with constituents are the most influential factor in shaping the opinions of a member of congress. We promise, it's a lot easier than you think.

Although you can walk into a member of Congress’ office without an appointment, you are unlikely to meet with them personally unless you set up a meeting ahead of time.

Don't have a meeting scheduled? Learn how here.

Talking Points

Why do you care about Pentagon cuts? You don't need to memorize these points -- they're just a few ways that you can think about cutting the Pentagon. Use what works for you and what you think will make sense to your senator.

Cuts can be safe and responsible

A number of groups and individuals from across the political spectrum, including The Sustainable Defense Task Force, the Simpson-Bowles Commission, and Senator Tom Coburn all recommend $1 trillion in cuts to Pentagon spending - the same amount required by current law.

It's a choice between Pentagon spending and human needs programs

Existing Budget Control Act cuts would leave millions of people without access to basic services. We simply can’t afford any more cuts to human needs programs. The Pentagon should pay its fair share.

The bloated Pentagon budget is full of waste, fraud and abuse

The Pentagon has lost, wasted and misspent more than the total budgets of 5 other federal departments - State, Interior, Commerce, Justice and Energy. At the same time, Pentagon contractors are profiting from contracts -- including projects millions over-budget.

Factsheets

• Where do our income tax dollars go? 39 cents of every 2011 income tax dollar went to the Pentagon.
• Who Says Congress Should Cut the Pentagon Budget?
• Is this Enough, or Do We Need More to be Safe? Cutting the Pentagon won't "hollow out the force" as Secretary of Defense Panetta claims. The U.S. military will still remain leaps and bounds more powerful than any on the planet by any available metric.
• Rein in Profits of Major Pentagon Contractors In spite of the recession, major military contractors have realized substantial – even excessive – profits throughout the last decade.
• Protecting Jobs through Responsible Reductions The Pentagon is less efficient at creating jobs than investments in education, healthcare, and clean energy.
• Wasted Dollars in the Pentagon Budget Between cost overruns; shoddy bookkeeping; and losing track of leases, money, and inventory; the Pentagon's financial mismanagement costs over $100 billion.
• The Sustainable Defense Taskforce Report outlines a bipartisan plan for safe, responsible cuts.

State Specific Resources

• Trade-offs Could your tax dollars be better spent? Find out using this interactive trade-offs tool from the National Priorities Project.
• Want to know how the runaway military budget affects your state? Our budget experts have put together fact sheets describing in detail what the federal budget pays for in your region.

Quaker Peace Pie Initiative

Budget pie shows the imbalance of the federal budget; a much bigger “slice of the pie” goes to the Pentagon and spending on current and past wars that goes to anything else in the federal funds budget — domestic programs that protect the most vulnerable people in our country; efforts to address climate change; diplomacy, development, and international cooperation to help stop conflicts from turning deadly in the first place. You can use budget pie as a tool to start conversations about our nation’s budget priorities — in a sweet way.