ACTION ALERT:
Stop the GOP’s Massive War Budget
This MAGA Budget is Not the Answer
Win Without War
(May 6, 2025) — Republicans plot HUGE budget plus ups at the Pentagon, they’d balance things with $880 BILLION in cuts elsewhere. That includes stripping away healthcare from millions of people by slashing Medicaid. [1]
House Republicans just unveiled a Trump-backed bill that would pour $150 BILLION more into weapons and war. [2] If you add that to the previously approved $886 BILLION Pentagon topline? We’re not just spending more on bombs and bullets than any other country in the world, we’re well past the $1 TRILLION threshold.
The final negotiations on these bad budget plans are likely to come down to just the next few weeks — and the votes were always going to be close. But now, with a dozen Republicans signaling they won’t back a bill that includes massive cuts to Medicaid [3], this fight is becoming one we have a crucial shot at winning.
This moment marks the start of a legislative sprint to press Congress to REJECT the misguided notion that BILLIONS more for weapons and war are the way to keep our communities safe. The first step? Sending a message to congressional leadership from tens of thousands of people across the country that this plan is nothing but a non-starter.
This budget leaves the most vulnerable people in our country — children, people with disabilities, and the elderly — to suffer. If Congress moves forward on this disastrous path, Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and student loan and grant programs at the Department of Education will all see cuts and that means tens of millions will lose their food assistance benefits and Medicaid coverage.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker said of the bill’s release, “This is about building the future of American defense, achieving peace through strength, and ultimately deterring war.” You and I know that we won’t build peace or true security with more bombs and bullets.
While Congress subjects budgets for education, healthcare, and infrastructure to rigorous scrutiny, debate, and cuts, the Pentagon’s seems untouchable — but we can change that because the money they’re spending is ours.
In 2024 alone, US taxpayers paid $3,707 each for weapons and war. $1,430 of that went straight to Pentagon contractors. Compare that to $1,823 for Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72 MILLION people: Low-income individuals, families, and children, including the elderly, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. [4]
It’s time to get our priorities back in order. Luckily, now even Republicans are beginning to realize that slashing the social safety net isn’t just bad policy, it’s also terrible politics. We can push Congress to REJECT this plan and pass a budget that helps our communities — but it’ll all come down to a matter of weeks, and it’ll take a monumental effort that looks like all of us speaking out. So will you?
Today, families across the country are worried — about their jobs, grocery bills, rent, childcare, and whether a retirement fund they’ve built over decades will be worth anything amidst a shrinking economy brought on by Trump’s policies. [5]
We can channel this worry into fighting for what matters — building a society where these vital daily needs are prioritized over lining the pockets of the already uber-rich.
Thank you for working for peace,
The Win Without War team
Sources
1. Politico, “Hurdles remain for Republicans’ Medicaid quest”
2. The Hill, “Republicans’ proposal for $150B in new Pentagon spending”
3. Punchbowl News, “A dozen House Republicans say no to big Medicaid cuts”
4. Institute for Policy Studies, “FACT SHEET: Your 2025 Tax Day Receipt”
5. NPR, “The economy shrinks as Trump’s tariffs spark recession fears
