Pamela: Trump and Republicans in Congress are racing to pass a budget reconciliation package. The problem? Their plan would slash the social safety net while pouring an unprecedented $1 TRILLION into weapons and war.
That includes a $25 BILLION "down payment" on Trump's absurd "Golden Dome" missile defense scheme — a sci-fi fantasy that hands BILLIONS of dollars to weapons contractors like Elon Musk, with zero benefits to our security.[1]
As Senators determine how and if they'll cut lifesaving programs like Medicaid to pay for the Pentagon's plus ups, the atmosphere on Capitol Hill is tense. That's created a crucial chance to push Congress to rethink this bad budget bill.
Here's the state of play: The House bill passed on the slimmest of margins. Right now, a growing number of Senate Republicans are realizing that "we're all going to die" isn't just a bad policy position, it's also terrible politics.[2] Each day of this wonky budget reconciliation process step means a chance to sound the alarm across the movement, mobilize activists, rally our champions, and work to peel off the handful of votes we need to stop this bill in its tracks — and get our priorities back in order. Are you in?
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Days ago, Trump formally announced details for Golden Dome, notably that within three years it would be capable of intercepting missiles, even if they are launched from space, for $175 billion.
Let's fact-check that. The American Physical Society recently determined that developing the technology would be a "daunting challenge" on even a 15-year horizon.[3] Current and former military officials are also questioning the effectiveness and timeline.[4] What's more, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the costs to build the system could be as high as $831 BILLION.[5] And even then, it might not work.
Now, take Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the budgets of which House Republicans just voted to cut by $1 TRILLION. CNN reports that upwards of 71 million people stand to lose health coverage and 42 million could go hungry should the Senate follow the House's steps.[6] That's not all: Because programs like these have "multiplier effects", slashing their budgets has consequences for everyone. One independent, nonpartisan organization reports that over one million jobs in health care, food-related industries, and other sectors could be lost because of these Trump-backed cuts.[7]
Pamela, kicking millions of people off of their health care and taking away food assistance — all to pay for fantasy weapons systems — does NOT make us safer.
The trade-off is completely outrageous, and that's why we believe it could become the Achilles heel of the budget fight. Pressure is mounting from all sides and right now we have a real shot at forcing the Senate to rethink its warped priorities and change course.
Our small team is working day in and day out, going toe-to-toe with congressional hawks and the weapons lobby. It looks like pouring through hundreds of pages of bill text, supporting movement partners with expert analysis, meeting with congressional staffers to talk through the details, and getting mobile billboards running across DC to fight back — and it all takes incredible resources.
Make no mistake: sinking billions and trillions of dollars into fantasy "defense" projects while stripping the programs that keep people safe and healthy bare is unconscionable.
That's why Win Without War has led the fight to rein in the waste, fraud, and abuse baked into the Pentagon's astronomical budget.
We are NOT powerless against the billionaires in the White House or any boardrooms. But if we want to defend the public services and programs that people across the globe depend on, we'll need to be stronger, broader, and more durable than ever before.
Thank you for working for peace,
The Win Without War team
[1] ABC News, "Trump unveils plans for $175B 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield"
[2] Time Magazine, "'We're All Going to Die': GOP Struggles to Defend Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'"
[3] American Physical Society, "Strategic Ballistic Missile Defense: Challenges to Defending the U.S."
[4] CNN, "Trump wants a 'Golden Dome' capable of defending the entire US: 'Strategically, it doesn't make any sense'"
[5] Congressional Budget Office, "Effects of Lower Launch Costs on Previous Estimates for Space-Based, Boost-Phase Missile Defense"
[6] CNN, "House GOP lawmakers are proposing nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Here's who could be impacted"
[7] Commonwealth Fund, "How Potential Federal Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP Could Trigger the Loss of a Million-Plus Jobs, Reduced Economic Activity, and Less State Revenue"
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