Statement: $778 Billion for the Pentagon in 2020 Is Unconscionable
WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to the SIPRI Global Military Expenditures Index, the U.S. spent $778 billion on military spending in 2020. The U.S. now makes up 39% of global military spending, more than the next 12 nations combined. Public Citizen has previously called for cuts to the Pentagon’s bloated budget. Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“While most Americans spent their year pleading for living wages, protections for essential workers, appropriate personal protection equipment, and assistance with funeral expenses, the Pentagon burnt through an astronomical $778 billion on weapons, war and defense contractors.
“The almost limitless U.S. spending on the Pentagon is not making us or the world safer – in fact, it is leaving us less safe. All that Pentagon spending did not protect us from the pandemic – in fact, it sucked resources out of public health. All that Pentagon spending will not protect us from catastrophic climate change – in fact, high greenhouse gas emissions from Pentagon operations contribute directly to climate chaos. All that Pentagon spending does not even work to protect us from military threats – the spending itself has mired the U.S. in armed conflicts around the world that have made the nation less safe.
“The fact that a country with 5% of the world’s population is responsible for nearly 40% of global military funding should be a reality-inducing slap in the face to all Americans. Together, we should scream, ‘Enough!’ and demand meaningful reductions in Pentagon spending and a reallocation of savings to meeting pressing domestic and human needs.”