ST. PAUL, MN – State Representative Phyllis Kahn (DFL – Minneapolis) is joining hundreds of women state legislators from around the country to urge Congress to rein in Pentagon spending.
Nearly 300 legislators from throughout the country signed a letter to Congress about this issue. In Minnesota, 27 State Representatives signed along with 13 State Senators. Letters will be delivered to every member of Congress on Monday, April 28.
“America spent $640 billion on our military in 2013 alone,” said Kahn. “A small fraction of that amount could have helped avoid a recent $8.7 billion cut to food stamps. I think Congress needs to take a hard look at how their budget decisions impact the lives of the most vulnerable people in our communities. I don’t see how anyone could ever justify spending that amount of money on our military while at the same time cutting funding to help feed hungry families and children.”
In a letter that was delivered to every member of Congress, the state lawmakers point out that Pentagon spending will comprise over fifty percent of the federal discretionary budget in the coming year, and that the Pentagon’s lack of budgetary discipline and inability to conduct an audit is unacceptable. There are numerous expenditures within the Pentagon that should be scaled back or eliminated altogether, including excessive spending on the bloated nuclear weapons arsenal and the Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO), or war spending, account.
The letter was an initiative of the Women Legislator’s Lobby (WiLL), a national nonpartisan network of women state legislators who work together to influence federal policy and budget priorities.
Georgia State Senator Nan Orrock, WiLL President, applauded the woman leaders and their joint message to Congress. “Women legislators are joining together to insist that there’s a smarter path to national defense than simply continuing to ramp up Pentagon spending. When we fail to address the needs we have in education, health, human services, transportation, and restoring crumbling infrastructure, we risk undermining our safety and our economy. And we are squandering opportunities to create jobs. Our troops and veterans deserve robust investment in the domestic programs that help meet their needs.”
WiLL is a program of Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women to act politically to reduce violence and militarism, and redirect excessive military resources toward unmet human and environmental needs. By delivering this letter, hundreds of women state legislators from across the country urged Congress to make responsible cuts to the Pentagon budget, redirect those dollars away from outdated Cold War weapons towards other vital public programs and projects, to secure our nation’s economic future.