Sen. Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act Applies Common Sense to Military Spending
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has introduced the Slash the Pentagon Act to cap the U.S. Department of Defense’s annual budget at $750 billion – half of Trump’s bloated budget request. Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“Donald Trump is proposing a $600 billion annual increase in Pentagon spending. This is budget depravity, simultaneously a gift far beyond the wildest imagination of the military-industrial complex, and an epic theft from domestic and human needs priorities.
“Count on Senator Ed Markey, a lifetime champion of peace and restraining military spending, to respond with an aggressive dose of common sense. His Slash the Pentagon Act would not only block the Trump spending increase, but also cut the currently wasteful Pentagon budget to invest even more in the American people’s priorities.
“Senator Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act recognizes that an institution beset by identifiable waste and fraud, failed programs, and outrageous cost overruns, and that cannot pass an audit, should not be rewarded with a $600 billion budgetary increase. Common sense says that budget should be cut.
“Senator Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act recognizes that the U.S. spends more than twice as much on the military as China and Russia combined, and more on the military than the next five top-spending countries combined. Common sense says protecting our national security does not require giving the Pentagon more.
“Senator Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act recognizes the opportunity cost of Trump’s outrageous budget proposal. The $750 billion difference in annual spending between Trump’s proposal and the Slash the Pentagon Act would be enough to restore the cruel Medicaid and SNAP cuts included in the reconciliation bill; restore Affordable Care Act subsidies; provide universal day care and child care; expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing, vision and home health care; quadruple the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency; make massive investments to address the climate catastrophe; end homelessness in America and make major investments in affordable housing; make community college free and college free for everyone from a low-income household — and still have money left over. Common sense says it makes sense to meet these priority needs rather than throw more money at a Pentagon that is wasting the money it already has.
“Senator Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act recognizes that giving Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon a $600 billion budget increase is an invitation for more reckless and devastating wars. Common sense says that such an incompetent and war-mongering Pentagon chief should not be rewarded with a dramatically larger budget.
“Senator Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act recognizes that pouring money into the Pentagon unjustly enriches military contractors. Although they routinely deliver projects over budget, they confer massive pay packages on their executives – averaging almost $20 million annually – and spent more than $100 billion on stock buybacks and dividends since 2020. Common sense says that the Pentagon should be pruning their contracts, not investing in new boondoggles like the Golden Dome.
“For decades, Congress has rubber stamped requests from presidents of both parties for ever-higher Pentagon spending. Senator Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act charts the way forward to finally right-size the Pentagon’s budget and redirect spending for peace and prosperity.”