You’ve reached the activism portion of today’s show. Now that you’re informed and angry, here’s what you can do about it. Today’s activism: "Move the Money" - Reducing the Pentagon Budget.

This month, Congress spends a significant amount of time on the military budget for the following year. They debate the National Defense Authorization Act — or NDAA — and lay the groundwork for foreign policy based on how much money can be spent where and on what.

The National Priorities Project explains the NDAA and military budget process is super simple terms at NationalPriorities.org:

• The NDAA is an authorization, not an appropriation; it gives the government the authority to spend money and sets policy direction.
• Drafts of the NDAA are not open and transparent.
• The current draft has Congress ignoring its own budget caps, allotting some $90 billion off the books to fund the supposedly over Iraq and Afghanistan wars. 
• The NDAA has billions allocated for equipment the military says it doesn’t need or want and protects military contractors.

The NDAA is an authorization, not an appropriation; it gives the government the authority to spend money and sets policy direction. Drafts of the NDAA are not open and transparent. The current draft has Congress ignoring its own budget caps, allotting some $90 billion off the books to fund the supposedly over Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The NDAA has billions allocated for equipment the military says it doesn’t need or want and protects military contractors.

Veterans For Peace is taking this opportunity to lobby Congress and engage those of us who would rather see our money invested in people and peace than war and destruction to let our representatives know we support a shift in policy.

Use ContactingTheCongress.org to get your representatives’ phone, address, and social media handles and let them know you support the Veterans For Peace priorities listed under the “Legislative Update” section of “Take Action” at VeteransForPeace.org.

Budget change demands include: moving money from the military to urgent domestic needs like health, education, environment, and infrastructure; closing bases from wars waged in previous generations; reining in profits of Pentagon contractors; and auditing the Pentagon to eliminate waste.

If you’re looking for a way to get more involved with Veterans for Peace, registration is open for their annual convention August 5-9 in San Diego, CA. You can’t miss the tab at VeteransForPeace.org.

TAKE ACTION:

Use ContactingTheCongress.org to tell your representatives to follow the Veterans For Peach plan to “Move the Money” & “Audit the Pentagon”

Additional Activism/Resources:

Register for the Veterans For Peace 30th Annual Convention, August 5-9

Sources/further reading:

"Praying for Peace While Waging Permanent War?” via CounterPunch<?p>

"National Defense Authorization Act: Five Things You Should Know” via the National Priorities Project

Hear the segment in context:

Episode #931 "From rewriting wars to waging peace (Foreign Policy)"

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich