Move the Money from the Military
To Social and Environmental Programs!
World BEYOND War
1. Move the Money from the Military to Social and Environmental Programs!
Tell Congress: Cut Pentagon spending and keep social programs!
On January 17, 1961, in his historic farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned Congress of the unchecked growth of the arms industry in creating a never-ending “military industrial complex” that would undermine the very foundations of our democracy:
“Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved.
So is the very structure of our society.
The potential for the disastrous rise of
misplaced power exists and will persist.”
Now, more than 60 years later, the Pentagon budget has grown at an astronomically unsustainable rate year after year, with no end in sight. Last year alone, Congress increased Pentagon spending by 8 percent — more than $40 BILLION above the president’s request — bringing the Pentagon’s total budget to $858 BILLION.
But it’s a new Congress, and that means the game could change. Right now, we’re hearing renewed calls to CUT government spending, and that means we could push to decrease the Pentagon budget NOW. The catch? Republicans are calling for cuts in critically needed social programs, too.
It’s time for Congress to prioritize the needs of the people. That means investing in programs that will truly make our country stronger and more equitable while cutting the bloated Pentagon budget — and activists like us can lead the way.
ACTION: Add your name now to call on Congress to curb the influence of the military industrial complex in our government by cutting the Pentagon budget, NOT funding for social programs.
2. Ask President Biden to Sign the Treaty
On the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The danger of nuclear catastrophe has never been higher. Send a quick email to President Joe Biden. The text, which you can add to, was drafted by Nuclear Ban US.
3. Celebrate the Banning of Nukes on January 22!
The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons reached the required 50 states parties for its entry into force, and it became law on January 22, 2021. This is having an impact even on nations not yet party to the treaty. The movement is growing. There are currently 91 signatories and 68 states parties, with activists the world over urging their countries to join.
The US government keeping nuclear weapons in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, and the UK is not supported by the people of those nations, and is arguably already illegal under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
As is stated very clearly in the US Law of War Manual, US military forces are bound (and the same is true for other countries) by international treaties even when the US does not sign them, when such treaties represent “modern international public opinion” as to how military operations should be conducted. And already investors representing more than $4.6 trillion in global assets have divested from nuclear weapons companies because of the global norms that are shifting as a result of the TPNW.
Find & post events and use the resources on this page to celebrate nuclear weapons becoming illegal this January 22!
4. Rally Against War in Washington D.C.
On February 19!
Join us at the Lincoln Memorial at 12:30 pm on Sunday, February 19th, on the anniversary of the Ukraine War and President’s Day Weekend, to Rage Against the War Machine! Veterans, speakers, rock musicians, comedians, and more. After the rally, we’ll march to the White House and deliver our demands to Warmonger-in-Chief Joe Biden.
OUR DEMANDS
• Not One More Penny for War in Ukraine
• Negotiate Peace
• Stop the War Inflation
• Disband NATO
• Global Nuclear De-Escalation
• Slash the Pentagon Budget
• Abolish the CIA and Military-Industrial Deep State
• Abolish War and Empire
• Restore Civil Liberties
• Free Julian Assange
Thank you for successfully taking action.
If you haven’t, please be sure to sign and share the Declaration of Peace.
Find much more you can do here.
World BEYOND War is a grassroots network of chapters and affiliates around the world. Search the map to find a chapter/affiliate in your area, or start your own chapter!
