Budget Matters Blog


In a Pandemic, Military Spending is an Extravagant Waste

In the very near future, countries are going to have to choose whether they make guns or vaccines.


The U.S. Military is a Major Polluter, but "Greening the Military" is a False Solution

The largest industrial military in the world is also one of the biggest polluters. Maintaining a massive military requires significant investment in carbon-intensive infrastructure and gas-guzzling equipment. The carbon footprint of the military is tremendous. So why isn’t “greening the military” a good solution?


The U.S. Spends More on Its Military Than the Next 10 Countries Combined

The United States was the biggest driver of this growth, with its $732 billion in 2019 accounting for a full 38% of global military spending. That's more than the next 10 countries combined, a marked increase from the previous year when it was merely larger than the next seven combined.


Introducing: No Warming, No War: How Militarism Fuels the Climate Crisis - and Vice Versa

Today, on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, the National Priorities Project is proud to release No Warming, No War: How Militarism Fuels the Climate Crisis - and Vice Versa. 


Against Coronavirus, the Defense Production Act Can Redirect Militarized Industries

If civilian production can be shifted to be useful right now against the coronavirus, so should military production. This is an excellent time to invoke the Defense Production Act to redirect the industrial capacity of military contractors.


We Need a Stimulus that Serves People Over Profit

Rather than restoring the status quo, we have the opportunity to forge a different path that invests in real security for Americans.


If $1.5 Trillion Exists to Bail Out Wall Street from Coronavirus, We Can Fund Actual Needs for All

The Federal Reserve just injected $1.5 trillion into the banking system to prop up crashing markets spooked by the coronavirus pandemic. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that our government can’t afford to provide nice — and necessary — things for all of us.


Against a Global Coronavirus Pandemic, the Trump Budget Keeps Militarizing America

As fears grow of a global coronavirus pandemic, the United States is in a poor situation to cope. Aggressive messaging from the White House assures the public that the "full weight of the U.S. government" is working to keep Americans safe from the disease, but those words are belied by...


Trump 2021 Budget Cuts Diplomacy and Foreign Aid, Increases Foreign Military Aid

The numbers speak for themselves. This budget is a recipe for war.


Trump's 2021 budget keeps ignoring the climate crisis

After rounding out the hottest decade on record, the federal government continues to operate in complete denial of the climate crisis. The Trump administration’s fourth budget proposal, released Monday, postures as if its spending priorities counter the next decade’s emerging threats, without a single mention of climate change.