No More Money for War

Scroll down to tell your Members of Congress to oppose $1.5 trillion in military spending.

This week and next, Congress will “markup” the National Defense Authorization Act. This giant annual bill details Pentagon spending for the next year, requesting an unprecedented and unacceptable $1.15 trillion be spent on war and preparations for war.

On top of this, the Trump Administration has announced that it will seek an additional $350 billion through the reconciliation process in addition to pursuing a separate funding bill for the unauthorized war in Iran, which costs at least $1.2 billion per day in the first sixty days, for a staggering total of roughly $1.5 trillion. The Pentagon has never passed an audit, and a massive portion of the proposed spending will go to contractor profits and waste.

Astronomical Pentagon spending will not make us safe. It will mean cuts to crucial government programs, from food, healthcare, and education at home to diplomacy and peacebuilding abroad. President Trump himself made the tradeoff explicit, telling reporters, “We’re fighting wars … It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things.”

In his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV expresses concern that “increased military spending is presented as the only response to an uncertain future or perceived threats. Meanwhile, the real cost falls on the poorest, who see resources for healthcare, education and social services being reduced.” He warns that the economic interests driving such spending make the resort to violence and war more likely. People of faith must raise our voices and let Congress know that runaway Pentagon spending is incompatible with God’s unarmed and disarming peace.

Say no to the endless war, wasteful spending, and distorted priorities this spending bill represents. Urge your Members of Congress to vote YES for any amendment that reduces the  $1.15 trillion Pentagon topline, and vote NO on the NDAA.

Photo: The Pentagon, courtesy of David B. Gleason, available in public domain via Wikimedia Commons.