WAMM Campaign to Fund Human Needs and End War

Women Against Military Madness, since its inception in 1982, has been calling for cutting the military budget and using the money to support human needs, including improved healthcare, job creation, fighting climate change, increasing aid to education, alleviating poverty and the like. However, despite the efforts of WAMM and many other groups, the U.S. military budget continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In 1982 it was $180 billion; recently Congress approved a $740.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2021.

The devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout provide ample reason for our country to reconsider what truly constitutes national security. The massive U.S. arsenal and fighting force deployed worldwide are powerless against grave, nonmilitary threats to national security—from a raging pandemic to the fact that tens of millions of Americans breathe foul air, drink tainted water, and struggle to pay for food, housing and health care.

More and more groups are speaking out, including conservative groups. The Center for the International Policy’s Sustainable Defense Task Force—a collection of former White House, congressional and Pentagon budget officials, ex-military officers, and think tank experts—published a report detailing how the Defense Department could cut $1.2 trillion in waste and inefficiency over the next decade. The Project on Government Oversight’s Center for Defense Information posted a report recommending ways to cut the Pentagon’s annual budget by $199 billion without compromising national security or military capabilities. The Poor People’s Campaign’s wide-ranging “moral budget” went even further, calling for only $350 billion in annual military spending, essentially chopping the Pentagon budget in half.

Our Campaign will focus on our local community, bringing the message that to truly invest in security for our communities we must defund militarism, reclaim our resources and invest in the public services and institutions that are strengthening our communities and keeping us safe.

Strategies

  1. Work with peace groups, local faith communities, and universities in educating the general public about the need to cut the military budget and transfer the fund to human needs programs

  2. Reach out to our elected officials relative to legislation aimed at reducing military budget

  3. Use the WAMM Newsletter, facebook, action alerts, and the-like to reach out to others

  4. Distribute written materials, including (a) Tom White’s cards, (b) a flyer on how much MN taxpaye dollars go for the military, the (c) National Priorities Project discretionary budget flyer (d) stickers

  5. Provide forums and other educational events.

Short term goals – 2021

  1. Gather and distribute information relative to the $13.3 billion paid for war by MN taxpayers by Apr. 1.

  2. Organize an on-line petition on the Move-on site prior to April 15.

  3. Get one article in each of the 6 WAMM Newsletters.

  4. Generate quarter action alerts.

  5. Organize forum with suggestions for action prior to April 15.

  6. Order stickers with appropriate message by June 1.

  7. Involve 10 churches in the Campaign.

Long term goals – 2 years

  • Meet with members of the MN Legislature and members of our Congressional Delegation.

  • Prepare caucus resolutions for 2022.