Budget Matters Blog


Stop Calling it a "Border Crisis"

People escaping violence have a right to seek safety. If they can’t, that’s the real crisis.


Biden's 2022 budget raises military spending past $750 billion

Today, President Joe Biden unveiled his administration's FY 2022 “skinny budget” request. While not a full breakdown, the “skinny budget” offers a critical glimpse at topline discretionary budget spending and speaks volumes about the administration's priorities. At $753 billion, Biden's requested Pentagon budget increase continues the dangerous and short-sighted path...


Will President Biden Continue Astronomical Pentagon Spending?

Progressives have called for an immediate ten percent Pentagon spending reduction, to be followed by greater reductions. That would take spending closer to where it was under President Obama. We'll soon find out whether President Biden will stick with the Trump increases, build on them, or begin to tear them down.


If Impoverished Countries Can Host Millions of Refugees, the US Can Welcome a Few Thousand

The factors that drive displacement are often complex, but welcoming refugees isn't.


The Day I Became Anti-War

A personal recollection on the day that launched the Iraq War — and its lessons for us 18 years later.


18 Years of Invasion in Iraq

We’ve had 18 years to learn that the costs of war are just too high. We must end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the next time our leaders inevitably argue for the necessity of war, it’s up to us to resist.  


Bombing Syria vs. Raising Wages: When Do the Rules Apply?

The Biden administration is bending rules to drop bombs but not raise wages. That’s a mistake.


The Syria Strike and America's Broken Foreign Policy

It’s time for a different foreign policy that respects the rule of law, respects the sovereignty of other nations, and respects human life in all nations.


Returning to the Paris Agreement is a Start, Now We Need New Internationalism on Climate

The United States' reentry to the Paris Climate Agreement is critical, but far from the sufficient. The path to a livable future requires new internationalism rooted in global cooperation, resource sharing, and solidarity.


Tackling Prison Profiteers Will Take More Than Banning Private Prisons

Biden’s order rolling back for-profit prisons is a good first step. Next we need to end for-profit immigration detention.