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The United States is facing an economic crisis unlike any it has seen 80 years. Already trillions have been spent on the bailout by the Federal Reserve and FDIC. Congress has approved an economic stimulus that will cost more than $800 billion. The national debt is over $10 trillion and the annual deficit is over $1 trillion. How is the United States going to pay for it? How is it going to fund the new energy economy, schools, education, health care and other urgent needs? One solution: cut the wasteful and bloated military budget.
President Obama has introduced a military budget that is $21 billion larger than the Bush military budget. On top of this he is preparing to ask Congress for more war funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan – an additional $75.5 billion is expected. Please take action now and urge Congress and the President to reduce military spending, stop killing civilians with drones and other weapons, and end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan now!
President Obama has put forward a military budget that is $21 billion larger than the Bush military budget. His Defense Secretary, Bush holdover Robert Gates, has called for cutting some no-longer-needed and very expensive weapons systems, but he is also seeking more money for drones and a bigger DoD budget.
Obama’s DoD budget is $534 billion, compared to Bush’s $513 billion budget. On top of all this he is preparing to ask Congress for more war funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan – an additional $75.5 billion for the remainder of 2009 is expected. The military budget continues to be out of control despite the massive federal budget deficits and urgent economic needs at home. Does the U.S. really need to spend as much as the whole world combined on weapons and war?
Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) had it right when he called for a 25% cut in military spending. Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.) describes Obama’s military budget as “embarrassingly naïve.” Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D., Cal.) says she cannot imagine voting for such a budget and she heads the largest caucus in Congress, the Progressive Caucus.
Please take action today to support those in Congress who oppose military spending and urge President Obama to reduce his request for more military spending. Click here to send a letter to Obama and your representatives in Congress.
Virtually every day we read about drones killing civilians and creating new enemies for America. The U.S. needs to stop creating more enemies with drone attacks that kill civilians in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This does nothing but undermine U.S. national security. President Obama needs to be a commander in chief that holds the military accountable every time a civilian is killed. He needs to say to his military commanders – no more drone attacks if you cannot guarantee no more civilian deaths. Such killings undermine diplomatic and reconstruction efforts and makes the U.S. less secure.
Please take action now and urge your elected officials and President Obama to reduce military spending, stop killing civilians with drones and other weapons, and end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan now.
Sincerely,
Kevin Zeese
Executive Director
Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Peace, politics
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