Military Spending In The Senate

This letter from Mike Prokosch of New Priorities Network calls for messages to your Senators about a military spending bill.  If you want to send a letter to your local editor, you can get the address in the right-hand column of this blog under "Get Out The Word."

Dear activists,

Last week the House of Representatives passed a military spending bill that exceeded deficit reduction targets by $8 billion and President Obama’s budget request by $4 billion. This week the Senate armed services committee and subcommittees will mark up their own version of the bill. It’s expected to echo Obama’s request.

Please email or call your Senator if s/he is on one of the committees. The House-Senate switchboard is 202-224-3121. There will be fights over specific weapons programs and opportunities to shorten the US war in Afghanistan. The Senate budget process also leads to the final stage – a House-Senate conference committee that could actually cut military spending.

Meanwhile, a battle is raging for public opinion, and our message is at the center of that battle. When House Republicans slashed social programs to feed the Pentagon, they provoked a storm of criticism because they put the key question on the table: are we going to get global insecurity or community security? (They didn’t put it that way, but when you cut food stamps and Medicaid to fund useless weapons even the Pentagon doesn’t want, the choice is pretty clear.)

Please continue sending letters to the editor, approaching local elected leaders and community leaders, and finding ways to say publicly: cut the military budget so we can survive. Ample resources are on our website.

Mike Prokosch, coordinator

New Priorities Network