Defund The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the world's largest polluter and emitter of greenhouse gasses.[2][3] Its annual budget makes up more than half of the united states federal government's total budget and is greater than the next ten nation-states' budgets combined. [4]
2020 US Federal Elections
During the 2020 US congressional elections, Representative Cori Bush's platform included a commitment to defund the Pentagon:
"If you're having a bad day, just think of all the social services we're going to fund after we defund the Pentagon."
In response to criticism, she tweeted a longer thread:
"Let’s talk about ignorance. Let’s talk about what actually keeps our communities safe... Militarization makes up 64% of our federal budget. Medicare & Health are 6%. Education is 5%. Social Security, Unemployment, and Labor together are 3%. Ignorance is thinking those priorities keep our families safe... The Department of Defense has never passed an independent audit, yet we continue to give them money unchecked... Ignorance is giving weapons of war to local police departments with no accountability or oversight... Yes I want to change our priorities. We can fund Medicare for All, guarantee housing, and enact a Green New Deal. We can make sure no veteran goes unhoused or without care. We can have a government that actually works for us."[5]
Sources
- ↑ https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
- ↑ https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2022/10/pentagon-climate-change-neta-crawford-book/#:~:text=The%20US%20military%20is%20the,the%20emissions%20of%20most%20countries.
- ↑ https://earth.org/us-military-pollution/
- ↑ https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2023/04/the-united-states-spends-more-on-defense-than-the-next-10-countries-combined
- ↑ https://www.audacy.com/kmox/news/politics/cori-bush-explains-why-she-wants-to-defund-the-pentagon