The anti-Robin Hood

 

The corrupt ties between weapons contractors and Congress are powerful and destructive.

Take the anti-Robin Hood, Lockheed Martin: in addition to manufacturing bombs dropped in Yemen and the failed F-35 fighter jet, and misusing COVID relief funds, it’s also part of a corporate group working against a proposed corporate tax increase that’s essential to helping our communities — all while aggressively lobbying for bigger payouts from the nearly TRILLION dollar Pentagon funding authorization.

Mega-weapons companies like Lockheed reap their profits from payouts from the federal government — that’s our tax dollars. But while not many are willing to go up against the enormous influence of mega defense corporations and their lobbyists, this is exactly what Win Without War is built for. 

In the coming months, the entire Congress will vote on the Pentagon budget. As one of just a handful of organizations who focus their work on cutting funds for weapons and war, we’re ramping up our efforts to stop a rubber-stamp of one of the biggest war budgets in history — and we need you with us.

You may have heard that Senators like Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin are blocking new infrastructure funding and a Build Back Better agenda that would expand health care coverage, invest in clean energy, and make it easier for families to access child care, paid leave, and affordable housing.

Well, what you may not know is that the same people blocking bold investments in a sustainable, livable future are fully on board with giving the Pentagon an eye-popping $778 BILLION. 

It ends up being more than DOUBLE the annual cost of just ONE of the reconciliation bills under Build Back Better. Here’s what that looks like:

[Alt text: Red bar graph comparing 10-year expected costs of Pentagon budget ($778B), Reconciliation bill ($350B), and Infrastructure ($110B).]

The Build Back Better bills would direct our attention and resources toward urgent crises like the COVID economic collapse, social inequality, pandemic recovery, and climate change, as well as fully fund education, child care, and housing. 

On the other hand, next year’s proposed Pentagon policy bill would fund more unnecessary F-35s, battleships, bombs, and surveillance tech. 

What spending would help your family the most? 

Right now, our future — the rest of 2021, next year, and the year after that — is on the line. These years are critical to creating a foundation for lasting change that will allow our democracy and the world to not only survive, but also thrive in this century. 

It’s a future that Win Without War is fighting for side-by-side with a small, but powerful cohort of lawmakers and thousands of grassroots activists like yourself.

A donation of $15 can make an enormous difference as we use every tool we’ve got to block the bloated Pentagon budget. It’ll be a massive uphill battle, but with your support, we’ll be better positioned than ever to build power — and win.

Take a moment to pause and imagine what your world would look like if our spending priorities weren’t focused on weapons and war. 

Maybe more people in your community would go to college. Maybe you wouldn’t have to make a difficult choice between a job and taking care of your kids. Maybe your community would be better prepared to meet rising seas and deepening droughts. Or maybe you’d be able to access quality healthcare, pay down debt, and put food on the table.

It’s a future that’s possible, if we work together to fight for it.

Thank you for working for peace,

Kate, Stephen, Sara, and the Win Without War team

© Win Without War 2020
1 Thomas Circle NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 656-4999 | info@winwithoutwar.org