APWU Supports Funding Essential Programs

This bill, introduced in the House on February 21, 2023, would reduce the amount of funding the Department of Defense receives by $100 billion from its current funding level. It is important to note that the following Department of Defense accounts are excluded from this reduction in funding:

• Defense Health Program
• Military Personnel Accounts
• Civil Service Pay & Benefit Accounts

While it may seem like a large amount of money to cut, the Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2023 budget amounted to $816.7 billion. In the same year, we spent $1.7 trillion more than we collected in revenue, adding to our national debt of $34.6 trillion.

This bill has sparked discussion on how we choose to spend our money, and therefore what we prioritize. APWU believes the basic needs of working class Americans should take priority over the growing military-industrial complex.

As both the military and defense industries continue to expand, increased defense spending does not always mean increased safety. Things like non-essential military equipment and outdated weapon systems do not directly lead to a more secure nation.

The bill references a Congressional Budget Office study which outlines defense strategies using a significantly smaller budget, illustrating the feasibility of this proposal.

"The United States is rushing toward a trillion-dollar Pentagon budget that enriches military contractors but entrenches massive fraud and waste, leaves the nation less secure and pulls money away from priority human needs.” - Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen