Massachusetts Peace Action Condemns House Passage of $858 billion Pentagon Spending Bill

(Shutterstock/rogistok)
(Shutterstock/rogistok)

Massachusetts Peace Action condemns the House of Representatives’ vote today to approve a $858 billion Pentagon budget, the largest in history, said its executive director, Cole Harrison.

The vote was 350-80, with 45 Democrats and 35 Republicans voting no.

The war budget is $80 billion more than last year, and $118 billion more than when Biden took office.

The $858 billion price tag doesn’t count spending on nuclear weapons, spending for the war in Ukraine, or veterans’ benefits.  Those are extra.

The entire Russian military budget is $75 billion.

The Pentagon recently failed its fifth consecutive annual audit, yet House members were quick to shower the unaccountable agency with taxpayers’ money.

2.9 million children in the United States were lifted out of poverty in 2021 by the Child Tax Credit.   But that program expired after a year, and now our elected officials have decided to spend an equivalent amount on increasing the war budget.

“Waltham-based Raytheon and its fellow merchant of death, Lockheed, are celebrating Christmas early,” said Harrison.  “Bring our war dollars home.  We don’t need more weapons and more war.  We need international respect and cooperation.  We urge Senators to vote no on this disgraceful misappropriation of taxpayers’ money.”