Sequester and the Pentagon

by Jasmin Maurer, PEP Director
published in the St. Louis American

With the sequester about to hit, Congress is preparing for across the board cuts to go into effect. The only glimmer of hope in allowing the sequester to happen is that it would ensure that something would finally be done about the overblown Pentagon budget.

Currently, 60 percent of the discretionary budget is funneled into the Pentagon. Their budget has grown 42 percent since 2000, not including spending for the wars. The cuts being proposed through sequester wouldn’t even cut their budget, just slow its growth.

If we really want to solve our deficit problem, let’s take a look at the salaries of defense contracting CEOs, the top five of which amounted to $21.5 million last year. And how the Pentagon helps fund these salaries, often through contracts for weapons the military doesn’t even want or need.

So as we’re looking for alternatives to the sequester, let’s ensure that the Pentagon gives up its fair share. We cannot allow our deficit solution to come at the expense of our most vulnerable neighbors.