The Pentagon is seeking BILLIONS and BILLIONS from Congress in the next COVID relief stimulus package. Why? To protect the mega-profits of arms dealers and defense contractors.
Yes. That’s right. As we lose tens of thousands of loved ones here, and hundreds of thousands around the world, to COVID-19 — the Pentagon wants even MORE money on top of the $750 billion+ it already wastes every year on unnecessary, dangerous weapons, defense contractor giveaways, and Trump’s racist border wall.
We say ENOUGH. That’s why Pax Christi USA, along with 61 of our partners are going toe-to-toe with the arms industry and demanding Congress not give the Pentagon A SINGLE PENNY in the next coronavirus relief package. (Read our letter from last week here.)
We don’t need more nukes, militarized borders, armies, or drones — because war doesn’t keep anyone safe. We need more masks, nurses, and ventilators. We need more stimulus checks for those who are unemployed, poor, and undocumented. We need greater resources to protect communities of color. We need healthcare and housing for all. These are what keeps us all safe.
Congress has to bail out the people, not the Pentagon and its arm dealer friends.
This was true before this pandemic. But it’s flat-out undeniably and STARKLY blatant today, as our family and neighbors die, struggle to put food on the table, or keep a roof overhead.
The thing is, the Pentagon and the White House don’t get to decide whether the Pentagon gets billions more. Congress does. And that’s why we are mobilizing to create a wave of public pressure, a storm in the media, and move as many members of Congress to get congressional leadership to reprioritize funding in the next stimulus package and beyond.
To create this wave, we need your help.
In the pain of today’s pandemic, the choice has never been more simple. Do we continue with business as usual, funneling trillions into the Pentagon and stuffing the pockets of arms dealers and weapons manufacturers while gutting funding for public health and other human needs? Or do we take care of our people?