It’s time to stop misdirecting hundreds of billions of dollars away from domestic and human needs to pad unnecessary budget lines for endless wars, failed weapons, and the Pentagon’s corporate handouts. Doing so will make our country stronger and more just.
The People Over Pentagon Act (H.R. 1134) led by U.S. House Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) would cut $100 billion from the three-quarters-of-a-trillion dollar Pentagon budget, reducing waste and encouraging lawmakers to spend this funding on the true needs of their constituents instead.
The $100 billion figure references a 2021 CBO report that demonstrates how this money could be cut from the Pentagon without impacting security. The bill exempts troop pay and the Defense Health Agency.
Proponents of the bill argue that reallocating $100 billion away from the Pentagon is an essential first step towards realigning our national spending priorities.
Researchers at the National Priorities Project have noted that $100 billion used elsewhere could pay for:
- Powering every household in the United States with solar energy
- Hiring one million elementary school teachers amid a worsening teacher shortage
- Free tuition for 2 out of 3 public college students in the U.S.
- Sending every household in the U.S. a $700 check to help offset effects of inflation
The bill text and current cosponsors can be found here.
Organizational supporters of the People Over Pentagon Act are listed below. If you would like to endorse the bill, click here. If you have other questions or comments for People Over Pentagon organizers, please use the contact form here.
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