Today, 59 groups sent a letter to President Biden with a simple message: Reduce the Pentagon budget and redirect those funds towards priorities that actually meet the needs of the American people. From child poverty to the climate crisis, a slew of challenges remain underfunded. Meanwhile, the U.S. military budget continues to balloon. As he prepares his budget request to Congress, it’s time for the president to prioritize everyday people, not corporate weapons manufacturers.
Dear President Biden,
We, the undersigned 59 peace, national security, climate justice, racial justice, faith, and anti-poverty groups write to urge you to present a budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2024 that diverts some of our super-sized Pentagon budget to better meet the needs of the American people.
While we are deeply concerned about reports of a secret deal among some Members of Congress to roll back the entire federal budget, we can not and must not defend the status quo when it comes to the Pentagon budget.
We reject pouring our dollars into outdated ships, malfunctioning planes, or record-breaking contractor CEO salaries while everyday people remain hungry, unhoused, in need of adequate healthcare, or seeking a living wage.
This year’s military budget – $858 billion – is the second-highest since World War II. It is ten times Russia’s military budget and more than 2.5 times that of China. It is greater than the next 9 countries combined. About $452 billion of it will go straight into the pockets of big corporate weapons contractors. Last year, Congress added $45 billion on top of what your administration requested – an amount greater than the entire climate investment portion of the Inflation Reduction Act. It will not take many more years for our military budget to hit the $1 trillion mark, an astonishing sum given the Pentagon has never been able to pass an audit or properly account for the billions it already receives.
This is why we urge you to request a lower military budget this year. We reject recent calls to roll back the entire federal budget because we can and should be spending more on meeting human needs and addressing the climate emergency through a just transition from fossil fuels and support to communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. One of the many ways we can accomplish this is by spending less on the wasteful Pentagon budget. We reject pouring our dollars into outdated ships, malfunctioning planes, or record-breaking contractor CEO salaries while everyday people remain hungry, unhoused, in need of adequate healthcare, or seeking a living wage.
Please kick off this year’s budget process by putting forward a proposal that addresses our most urgent funding priorities by giving the Pentagon a direly-needed trim.
CC: Shalanda D. Young, Office of Management and Budget Director
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense
Sincerely,
National
Adorers of the Blood of Christ, US Region JPIC Office
American Friends Service Committee
Brave New Films
Coalition on Human Needs
CODEPINK
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
DC Peace Team
Demand Progress Education Fund
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends of the Earth
Greenpeace USA
Justice Is Global
Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice
MADRE
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Medical Mission Sisters – Justice Office
MPower Change
Muslims for Just Futures
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Center for Law and Economic Justice
National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Presentation Sisters Union – USA Unit
Public Citizen
RootsAction.org
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
Sister of St. Joseph
The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society
United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church Ministries
Win Without War
World BEYOND War
State and Local
Arizona Physicians for Social Responsibility
Baltimore, MD Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter Veterans For Peace
Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility
Citizens for Peace
Dominican Sisters of Houston
Franciscan Peace Center, Clinton, Iowa
Maine Physicians for Social Responsibility
Massachusetts Peace Action
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Peace and Common Security Working Group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment
San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility
School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province
Sisters, Home Visitors of Mary
Sisters of St Francis of Philadelphia
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA
Partnership for Earth Spirituality
Pax Christi Michigan
Peace Education Center
Peace Action of Michigan
Physicians for Social Responsibility Iowa
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment
Western North Carolina Physicians for Social Responsibility