March/April 2012
As a nation, we have the resources and imagination to make a valuable contribution to the survival of the planet and the well-being of the world's people. But for too long, our country has invested in an enormous military, shaping a world based on war and the threat of war and denying people in our communities the health, education and environmental security they need to thrive.
This issue of the Washington Newsletter focuses on the consequences of the U.S. addiction to Pentagon spending and what you can do with FCNL to begin to change it. With the money the U.S. spends on the military we could end childhood hunger, dramatically shrink the federal debt and build an environmentally sustainable future. We need only the strength and will to do it.
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Article Index
What would it look like if our country ended its addiction to military spending? If we took seriously our commitment to the well-being of all the participants in our democratic government? If our tax code reflected our values of fairness, and our budget supported what our country needs, could we afford to create a society that leads the world, not in military power but in innovation, collaboration and problem solving?
Almost every federal agency worries about money, except the Pentagon, which spends well over half a trillion dollars a year and wastes an enormous amount of money. This past year the Pentagon lost, wasted or misspent more than the entire budgets of five other federal agencies. It's time for Congress to hold the Pentagon to the same standards as every other federal agency.
Every person who cares about the health and vitality of local communities should care about reducing Pentagon spending. Pentagon spending comes out of the same budget pool as the money that goes to states. Congress is under pressure to keep the deficit down and communities, not defense contractors, are feeling the pinch.
Corporations that rely on military contracts are highlighting the jobs that Pentagon spending provides to argue that Pentagon spending should not be reduced significantly. With so many people struggling to find work, this argument is compelling but ultimately misleading. Spending money on the Pentagon is one of the least efficient ways to create jobs; our money would be much better spent on education, healthcare or any number of other programs.
Members of Congress are under intense pressure to roll back cuts to the Pentagon budget that will start to take effect next year. But as constituents you have a special ability to influence your member of Congress. By writing letters to your member of Congress, meeting with congressional staff, and writing letters to the editor you can make your voice heard. Find out how some FCNL supporters have influenced their elected officials.
Now we just have to keep it that way
There's good news: in the summer of 2011, Congress approved and the president signed legislation that requires planned Pentagon spending to be reduced by about $1 trillion over the next 10 years. But in Washington there is powerful pushback against these reductions. Despite heavy Pentagon lobbying, however, these cuts could remain in place because of pressures on Congress to cut the deficit. The actions that you and others taken in the next eight months could make a big difference in whether these cuts happen.
