Budget Matters Blog


Hurricane Helene at the Nexus of Climate Crisis and U.S. Militarism

Last month, people across the southeastern U.S. lost their homes, communities, and lives to the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. To protect our shared future, decarbonization and demilitarization must go hand-in-hand. 


2024 Climate Week Webinars: Divest from Militarism & Invest in Climate Justice

Colonial violence and militarism are at the root of global inequality, ecological devastation, and perpetual conflict that is driving the triple planetary crisis.


A New ‘Nuclear Era’– The Same Negligent Spending

The effort to produce plutonium pits is racking up to be a costly endeavor, straining an already military-heavy federal budget– for something we don’t need or want.  


The Costs of U.S. Militarization in the Philippines: Abuse of People and the Planet

The U.S. military is getting out of hand in fueling wars abroad–even the ones that haven’t begun.


Sonya Massey's Murder is a Reminder That Domestic and Foreign Violence Are Intertwined

Addressing police violence in our communities requires reckoning with America’s militarized foreign policy that leads to wars abroad and at home.


Defund the JSF Program, Refund Our Communities!

On the afternoon of March 28, 2024, an F35-B Lightning II fighter jet crashed into a hillside in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The nearly brand-new aircraft, demolished and ablaze, was previously worth roughly $109 million. Like many New Mexicans, the costly damage made me wonder, what else could that money have gone to? 


U.S. Military Spends More than the Next 9 countries in 2023

Globally, 2023 proved to be a record breaking year for military spending. 


This April, Climate and War Are Linked More Than Ever

It’s Earth Day today, and the U.S. and the world seem determined to ignore the climate crisis and instead invest in war. That’s a huge mistake. 


Militarized Funding in Biden Budget Totals Well Over $1 Trillion (and it will grow)

While the larger budgets makes some important strides forward, this discretionary proposal won’t provide security we need, in terms of costs of living, quality of life, climate change, or securing peace.


What We Spend on the EPA Compared to Pentagon Contractors

Each year Congress gives more than 50% of its discretionary budget to the Pentagon. and one of the most wasteful uses of this money is on contract spending.