Federal Budget Analysis
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Pouring Money into the Pentagon Can’t Prevent Another Pandemic
April 9, 2021
At $753 billion, President Biden's requested Pentagon budget increase continues the dangerous and short-sighted path of ballooning military spending set by President Trump, and fails to recognize the reality that our most critical challenges don't have military solutions.
Peace Groups Urge Support for the PRO Act
March 30, 2021
Washington, DC. — On March 30, the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies joined 20 other leading peace and justice organizations in delivering a letter to U.S. Senators in support of H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, in solidarity with workers demanding expanded labor rights.
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Poverty Amidst Pandemic Explainer
Sept. 25, 2020
In 2017, 140 million people in the United States were living in poverty or on the verge of poverty using this measure. With everything changed since 2019, and official poverty measures for 2020 still far in the future, we asked: what has become of the 140 million during the pandemic?
A Ten Percent Pentagon Cut Would Return Us to Obama-Biden Levels
Aug. 11, 2020
As part of the annual must-pass military spending and policy bill (the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, or “NDAA”), progressive lawmakers have put forward a proposal to cut the massive $740 billion Pentagon budget by 10 percent. The amendment is being introduced on the Senate side by Senator Bernie Sanders, joined by Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and on the House side, by Representatives Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan.
Ten Better Uses for 10% of the Pentagon Budget
Aug. 11, 2020
A $74 billion cut is a strong step toward better spending priorities, and could make a tremendous difference in other programs ranging from health care and education to job creation at a time when it is desperately needed.
A Local Resolution to End the Transfer of Military Equipment to Police
June 25, 2020
Since 1990, the Department of Defense has transfered more than $7 billion worth of military equipment to more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies around the country through what is known as the 1033 Program. As part of the larger effort to defund the police, invest in communities and end structural racism, ending the 1033 program is an essential step to demilitarizing our communities and saving lives.
The Militarized Budget 2020
June 22, 2020
In 2019, the U.S. "militarized" budget amounted to 64.5 percent of discretionary spending.
US Over-Investment in the Pentagon Left Us Vulnerable to the Coronavirus
June 15, 2020
Congress allocates hundreds of billions of dollars to the Pentagon and militarized policing and immigration systems in the name of security, while underinvesting in priorities like health care, medical research and poverty programs that could keep us safe during this crisis.
No Warming, No War: How Militarism Fuels the Climate Crisis—and Vice Versa
April 22, 2020
Climate change and militarism intersect in a variety of alarming ways: Recognizing that the impacts of climate change will dramatically increase instability around the globe, this paper examines the role of militarism in a climate-changed world.
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Tax Day 2020
March 18, 2020
Tax Day is delayed several months this year to July 15, 2020, due to the pandemic. Want to know what your taxes pay for, and how much?