Eugene Friends Meeting Minute on the Budget

Eugene Friends Meeting carries a concern for the critical decisions on the federal budget that must be made by the end of this year (2012). Growth of U.S. spending on war threatens our ability to address essential human needs. Current law–the Budget Control Act of 2011–requires a reduction in projected Pentagon spending of $1 trillion over 10 years, providing a momentous opportunity to shift budget priorities. This prospect faces powerful opposition that could persuade Congress to restore Pentagon funding by making major reductions in budgets for the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict and other human needs.

Friends Committee on National Legislation has identified this Pentagon budget reduction as a means to realign national priorities and now urges active engagement and lobbying efforts from Friends across the nation.

Eugene Friends Meeting supports the reduction in projected Pentagon spending and the preservation of federal budgets which support human needs and the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict. We encourage Friends to communicate their support for these budget priorities to the public and to Congress, and to contact our elected officials to report this message.

Eugene Friends will form an ad hoc committee on federal budget priorities for the purpose of implementing the above minute. Interested Friends can contact Sarita Lief, convenor.