Congress Must Resist Deepening the Pentagon’s Coffers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The text of a House-Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (NDAA) was released today. It would authorize $768 billion in spending for the Pentagon. Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“What possible justification is there for throwing $768 billion at the Pentagon at the very same moment that we’re being told there isn’t enough money to provide dental care to seniors, establish a paid family leave, or provide free community college?
“As the national debate centers around how much is ‘too much’ to be spending on the true needs of the American people, it is unconscionable to approve three-quarters of a trillion dollars for war-making, a sum that is $25 billion more than the president even requested.
“Why is there more money for the military-industrial complex – providing no additional protection for our national security and arguably diminishing it – at the same time U.S. is refusing to spend the $25 billion needed to make enough additional vaccines to vaccinate the world?”