Defense Spending Bill Shortchanges Domestic Needs
The following is a press release from July 8, 2003, by Kucinich's office in Congress.
***
Kucinich: Defense Spending Bill Shortchanges Domestic Needs
Instead Of Money For Failed Systems Nation Would Be Better Served By Putting Money In Education
The FY '04 Defense Department Appropriations Bill siphons away much needed funds form our domestic priorities, Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) stated on the House floor today.
"In one quick hour of debate, Congress will spend $368 billion on the military," stated Kucinich. "Amazingly, this massive sum does not fund our troops in Iraq or Afghanistan. If we want to use our armed forces, the taxpayers have to pay extra. We all know the President will be back asking for more billions of more taxpayer dollars for these operations."
Kucinich continued, "This bill funds the wrong defense priorities that will do little to provide for a more secure America. We fund weapons systems that we all know won't work and will be subject to spiraling upward costs. And yet we cannot fully fund education needs at home."
Kucinich today called programs such as, National Missile Defense, the F22 fighter plane, the V22 Osprey, spaced based weapons unnecessary and wasteful.
Cutting these wasteful programs would save the government $30 billion in unnecessary defense spending that can be immediately invested in education for our children. A thorough review of the Pentagon budget would likely reveal another $30 billion in defense waste and unnecessary programs.
"Spending taxpayer dollars is about setting priorities based on the real needs of Americans," Kucinich stated on the House floor. "The fictional risk of ballistic missiles and Cold War armies that no longer exist cannot be used to justify our current defense spending. Yet our children, and their future well being should be our top priority. If we truly care about our children, we will invest the wasted and unnecessary defense spending into their future now. Our nation will be stronger as a result."
Subscribe to this blog's feed