News congressional priorities, defense budget 2025, military spending, Peace Economy, social justice peace March 21, 2025 0 Comments

Billions for Bombs, Pennies for People. Congress Doubles Down on Military Spending, Again

This week, the leaders of the Senate and House Appropriations defense subcommittees revealed their blueprint for the Pentagon’s FY2025 budget under the continuing resolution. The plan, presented in a 181-page set of funding tables, is a wish list of weapons, war machines, and research into the next generation of military technology — from F-35 fighter jets and missile defense systems to classified space surveillance activities. Once again, Congress is signaling its unwavering commitment to funding war, even amid a national conversation about crumbling infrastructure, housing shortages, student debt, and the spiraling cost of living.

Let’s be clear: the funding decisions made in this document aren’t about keeping Americans safe — they’re about keeping defense contractors profitable. And they come at the direct expense of meeting the urgent needs of real people.

A Budget of Misplaced Priorities

Under the so-called “yearlong continuing resolution,” Congress gave the Pentagon a staggering $892.5 billion. Even with that astronomical figure, lawmakers found ways to shuffle money around to ensure pet projects and weapons programs stayed alive. That includes:

$1.5 billion for an additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
$524 million for more F-35 fighter jets
$411 million to increase C-130 procurement
$325 million slashed from next-gen fighter R&D due to “unjustified growth” — but still leaving it massively funded

Cuts weren’t made to question the militarism itself — only to trim around the edges of programs that couldn’t justify inflated costs. Meanwhile, the rhetoric of “fiscal responsibility” is reserved for denying healthcare, housing, or climate resilience programs.

Compare this to the fact that Congress continues to underfund social services across the country:

The National Housing Trust Fund received only $1 billion last year — a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of a single destroyer.
Universal pre-K for every child in America could be funded for years with less than what’s allocated for the Navy’s shipbuilding plans.
10 million students could receive free school meals for a decade for what’s being spent on drone procurement and classified “special space activities.”

A Congress More Accountable to Contractors Than Constituents

While Rep. Ken Calvert and Sen. Mitch McConnell call the funding tables a reflection of “Congressional intent,” the truth is that they reflect defense industry intent. These decisions were made in lockstep with weapons manufacturers and lobbyists, not everyday people.

The F-35 program alone has been plagued with technical failures, ballooning costs, and underwhelming performance. Yet it continues to receive billions — because it supports contractors in dozens of states and holds lawmakers hostage to the promise of jobs and campaign donations.

This is not a defense budget. It is a blank check to the war economy.

Democracy Can’t Survive on War Spending Alone

At a time when families are choosing between groceries and rent, when rural hospitals are closing, and when public schools face chronic underfunding, the moral bankruptcy of this budget becomes painfully clear.

We are told, year after year, that there is “no money” for Medicare expansion, green infrastructure, or student loan forgiveness. But when it comes to missiles, surveillance satellites, and fighter jets, the money not only appears — it multiplies.

This budget reinforces a deeply anti-democratic worldview: that safety comes not from strong communities, but from firepower; that prosperity must be secured through dominance, not care; and that America’s strength is measured in weapons, not well-being.

A Call for Congress to Reimagine Security

We at the Peace Economy Project believe it’s time to reject this failed logic. Security should mean:

A living wage and access to healthcare
A fully funded education system
Safe housing and clean water
Resilient infrastructure and climate justice

It’s time to reimagine national security not as endless preparation for war, but as a deep investment in the things that truly keep people safe and free. Congress must be held accountable for continuing to choose weapons over people.

The United States does not need another destroyer.

It needs affordable housing.

It doesn’t need classified missile tracking in space.

It needs school lunches, clean air, and access to care.

This is not just a political issue — it’s a moral one.

We must act now to challenge the militarization of our economy, our politics, and our future. Let’s demand a budget that reflects our values, not just our fears.