The Spring Immigration Update is now available! This immigration policy update gives a summary of developments in Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Obama administration. Topics include:
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Posted by Tammy Alexander
On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee approved this year’s defense authorization bill. The bill increases the Pentagon’s budget by $4 billion over the president’s request and sets Pentagon spending at $8 billion more than allowed in last August’s Budget Control Act.
While Congress is moving to slash other programs in the name of deficit reduction, this bill funds a number of programs that even the Pentagon has said they don’t want or need. One example is a missile-defense site on the East Coast which would cost billions of dollars over the coming years. The bill would also increase funding for nuclear weapons programs. The bill is likely to move to the floor of the full House next week.
Support for this bill is particularly glaring in light of the House vote yesterday on a proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Ryan’s bill replaced “sequestration” cuts to the Pentagon with cuts instead to other programs, including nutrition and health care. A Democratic alternative which was not allowed to come up for a vote would have reduced the deficit by limiting subsidies to the oil and gas industries and increasing taxes on millionaires. Neither version–Republican nor Democratic–made any cuts to the Pentagon, which already receives more than half of all discretionary spending.
Read more on MCC’s take on military spending.
2 Comments | Issues, Legislative Updates, Militarism | Tagged: defense authorization, Pentagon spending | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Photo: Doug Hostetter/MCC
Talks held between Iran and the P5+1 (U.S., U.K., Russia, France, China, Germany) on April 14 were described as “positive” and a subsequent round of discussions is set for late May in Baghdad.
This is a welcome step, as diplomacy is essential if the differences between the U.S. and Iranian governments are ever to be resolved. Congress’ actions can either undermine or support diplomatic talks. It is critical that they hear constituent support for diplomacy.
Read more and encourage your Members of Congress to support diplomacy with Iran and to oppose actions that would undermine diplomatic efforts.
Leave a Comment » | Action Alerts, Issues, Legislative Updates, Middle East, Militarism | Tagged: diplomacy, Iran, middle east | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
DoD photo, via Wikimedia Commons
Yesterday Rep. Paul Ryan, Chair of the House Budget Committee, released his budget plan for Fiscal Year 2013.
Despite the fact that groups across the political spectrum have argued that the Pentagon could handle much bigger cuts than have been proposed, Ryan’s plan would undo the $55 billion in sequestration cuts for the Pentagon, while making deeper cuts to domestic programs.
In fact, far from cutting military spending, Ryan’s House proposal would give the Pentagon $8 billion more next year than is allowed by last August’s budget agreement. At the same time his budget would give the remaining domestic discretionary programs $27 billion less than the amount set by the August agreement. If his proposal passes the House, these funding levels will be hard to reconcile with the Senate, where the Budget Committee chair has said he plans to stick with the caps set in the August agreement.
To learn more, read this commentary from the Project on Government Oversight. Check out the current issue of our newsletter, Some take pride in chariots.
Leave a Comment » | Issues, Legislative Updates, Militarism | Tagged: budget, military spending, paul ryan, Pentagon | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
SEIU International/flickr
This immigration policy update gives a summary of developments in Congress, by the Obama administration, and at the state level. Topics include:
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Posted by Tammy Alexander
This update gives a summary of developments in immigration policy in Congress, by the Obama administration, and at the state level. Topics include:
Melissa Engle/MCC
Leave a Comment » | Immigration, Issues, Legislative Updates, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by emilywh
U.S. Air Force photo
Forty-one members of Congress have signed a letter to the “super committee,” the Joint Select Committee for Deficit Reduction, calling for reductions to the Pentagon budget. The letter states:
In the ten years since the 9/11 attacks, spending on defense and security has increased 96% and totaled almost $8 trillion. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost $1.36 trillion, and taken the lives of over six thousand men and women while leaving over thirty thousand wounded. In the same time frame, the base budget for the Pentagon has mushroomed to $5.6 trillion…..
Read the full letter and see the list of signers here.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
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