{"id":3084,"date":"2014-05-13T12:49:30","date_gmt":"2014-05-13T18:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/?p=3084"},"modified":"2014-05-13T12:49:30","modified_gmt":"2014-05-13T18:49:30","slug":"pep-signs-on-to-us-action-letter-to-end-the-pentagon-slush-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/pep-signs-on-to-us-action-letter-to-end-the-pentagon-slush-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"PEP signs on to US Action letter to end the Pentagon slush fund"},"content":{"rendered":"

US Action and a number of other national and local organizations have written to Congress calling for an end to the Overseas Contingency Operations account, sometimes referred to as the Pentagon Slush Fund. Read the final letter with the signers below.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

We are writing you today as organizations with a wide variety of priorities to express our shared disappointment at the continued use of the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account as a way to circumvent the very spending limitations Congress itself imposed on Pentagon spending.<\/p>\n

Since 2002, the Pentagon has separated funding relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and counterterrorism activities from other military programs not associated with U.S. contingency operations. With the United States drawing down its military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is time to end use of the OCO account.<\/p>\n

According to the Pentagon, from FY 2013 to FY 2014, approximately 39 percent fewer personnel will be deployed to Afghanistan (with none in Iraq). Yet, in the FY 2014 omnibus spending bill, Defense Subcommittee funding in the OCO account will actually increase from FY 2013 to FY 2014. This only highlights the reality that the OCO is being used as a kind of slush fund to get around Congressionally approved caps on Department of Defense spending. We believe that the sum of the OCO account should be folded into Defense appropriations, with the total reduced to reflect post-war needs. That will mean that the current Defense cap will have to be increased. We believe that is a more realistic, transparent approach, just as we believe that the current cap for domestic expenditures is too low to respond to the nation\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Just last year, the House of Representatives voted to cut the OCO account\u2014reversing House appropriators\u2019 decision to include billions of dollars above the Pentagon\u2019s request in the Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014. Similarly, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported its Fiscal Year 2014 defense appropriations bill with significantly less appropriated in the OCO account than the omnibus ultimately provided.<\/p>\n

Although the Ryan-Murray deal kept parity between defense and non-defense spending caps, one of the ways that Congress met the new cap was by shifting spending from the Pentagon\u2019s base accounts into the OCO account. Domestic spending priorities cannot make such an end-run around the new spending caps Congress implemented just last month.<\/p>\n

Since 2010, regular (non-OCO) Pentagon spending will decline less than the 17.8 percent cut to domestic and international appropriations. But the presence of non-war spending in the OCO account means that the Pentagon has had to cut less than it appears. On the other hand, preschool programs for young children, scientific research, affordable housing and other community rebuilding, home energy assistance, aid for college students, job training, and nutrition programs for seniors are just some of the programs that are not keeping pace with need.<\/p>\n

Continuing to budget through the OCO account not only ignores Congress\u2019 prior actions to rein in the Pentagon budget but also the desire of the American public to see our war spending come down as our troops come home. It is time to shift the nation\u2019s budget priorities to encourage investment in jobs, education and infrastructure here at home.<\/p>\n

As you begin the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2015, you have an opportunity to end the use of budget gimmicks and realize genuine savings at the Pentagon. We urge you to end the use of the OCO, and instead methodically address wasteful, ineffective, or low-priority expenditures.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

National Organizations<\/strong><\/p>\n

9to5<\/strong>
\nAlliance for a Just Society<\/strong>
\nAmerican Friends Service Committee<\/strong>
\nAmericans for Democratic Action (ADA)<\/strong>
\nAugustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (A.D.R.O.P.)<\/strong>
\nCampaign for America\u2019s Future<\/strong>
\nCenter for International Policy<\/strong>
\nCenter for Popular Democracy<\/strong>
\nCoalition on Human Needs<\/strong>
\nCommunity Action Partnership<\/strong>
\nConference of Major Superiors of Men<\/strong>
\nCouncil for a Livable World<\/strong>
\nCourage Campaign<\/strong>
\nCREDO Action<\/strong>
\nFellowship of Reconciliation<\/strong>
\nForeign Policy in Focus<\/strong>
\nFranciscan Action Network<\/strong>
\nFriends of the Earth<\/strong>
\nGlobal Exchange<\/strong>
\nGlobal Justice Institute<\/strong>
\nGod\u2019s Will In Action<\/strong>
\nGray Panthers<\/strong>
\nHistorians Against War<\/strong>
\nInstitute for Peace and Justice<\/strong>
\nJust Foreign Policy<\/strong>
\nLabor Fightback Network<\/strong>
\nLutheran Peace Fellowship<\/strong>
\nNational Employment Law Project<\/strong>
\nNational Low Income Housing Coalition<\/strong>
\nNational Priorities Project<\/strong>
\nNETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby<\/strong>
\nOn Earth Peace<\/strong>
\nour developing world<\/strong>
\nPeace Action<\/strong>
\nPeace Action West<\/strong>
\nPhysicians for Social Responsibility<\/strong>
\nProgressive Democrats of America<\/strong>
\nProgressNow<\/strong>
\nPromise the Children<\/strong>
\nProvincial Council of the Clerics of St. Viator<\/strong>
\nRebuild The Dream<\/strong>
\nRootsAction.org<\/strong>
\nSalaam Legal Network & Citizen\u2019s Council for Human Rights<\/strong>
\nShare The Wealth Productions<\/strong>
\nSisters of Charity Federation<\/strong>
\nSisters of the Most Precious Blood<\/strong>
\nSisters of the Presentation<\/strong>
\nTaxpayers Protection Alliance<\/strong>
\nThe Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice<\/strong>
\nThe Center on Conscience & War<\/strong>
\nThe Young Democrats of America<\/strong>
\nU.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)<\/strong>
\nUSAction<\/strong>
\nUSAction Education Fund<\/strong>
\nVeterans For Peace<\/strong>
\nWarIsACrime.org<\/strong>
\nWin Without War<\/strong>
\nWomen Legislators\u2019 Lobby<\/strong>
\nWomen\u2019s Action for New Directions<\/strong>
\nWomen\u2019s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regional, State and Local Organizations<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. Thompson & Co.<\/strong>
\nAdvocacy for Justice and Peace Committee of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia<\/strong>
\nAmerican Friends Service Committee Northeast Regional Office<\/strong>
\nARISE Inc.<\/strong>
\nArlington United for Justice with Peace<\/strong>
\nBryn Mawr Peace Coalition<\/strong>
\nCAPA<\/strong>
\nCatholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens<\/strong>
\nCenter for Latino Progress \u2013 CPRF<\/strong>
\nChicago Area Peace Action\u00a0<\/strong>
\nCitizen Action of New York<\/strong>
\nCitizen Action of Wisconsin<\/strong>
\nCleveland Nonviolence Network<\/strong>
\nCleveland Peace Action<\/strong>
\nCoalition for Peace Action<\/strong>
\nCoalition of Peace Action of Monroe Township<\/strong>
\nColumbus Campaign for Arms Control<\/strong>
\nCommunity Action Development Commission (CADCOM)<\/strong>
\nCommunity Action Marin<\/strong>
\nCommunity of St. Francis<\/strong>
\nDorchester People for Peace<\/strong>
\nEast Bay Citizens for Peace<\/strong>
\nEducation Equals Making Community Connections<\/strong>
\nFairmont, MN Peace Group<\/strong>
\nFamily Therapy Institute of Suffolk<\/strong>
\nFlorida Consumer Action Network\u00a0<\/strong>
\nFund Our Communities<\/strong>
\nGay Men\u2019s Health Crisis (GMHC)<\/strong>
\nGenesee Valley Citizens for Peace<\/strong>
\nGeorgia Rural Urban Summit<\/strong>
\nGeorgia Women\u2019s Action for New Directions (Georgia WAND)<\/strong>
\nGranite State Priorities<\/strong>
\nGreensboro Housing Coalition<\/strong>
\nGrey Nuns of the Sacred Heart<\/strong>
\nHousing Authority of the County of DeKalb<\/strong>
\nIntercommunity Justice & Peace Center (IJPC)<\/strong>
\nIowa Citizen Action Network\u00a0<\/strong>
\nJustice Committee of the albany Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet<\/strong>
\nKeystone Progress<\/strong>
\nKickapoo Peace Circle<\/strong>
\nLawrence Pax Christi<\/strong>
\nLehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern (LEPOCO Peace Center)<\/strong>
\nLong Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives<\/strong>
\nLoretto Committee for Peace<\/strong>
\nMaine People\u2019s Alliance\u00a0<\/strong>
\nMansfield Housing Authority<\/strong>
\nMaryland United for Peace and Justice<\/strong>
\nMASS Senior Action Council, North Shore Chapter<\/strong>
\nMassachusetts Peace Action<\/strong>
\nMichigan Citizen Action\u00a0<\/strong>
\nMinnesota Arms Spending Alternative Project<\/strong>
\nMissouri Progressive Vote Coalition\u00a0<\/strong>
\nNational Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter<\/strong>
\nNeighbors for Peace & Justice<\/strong>
\nNew Hampshire Citizens Alliance for Action<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Citizen Action\u00a0<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Peace Action<\/strong>
\nNew Jersey Tenants Organization<\/strong>
\nNewman United Methodist Women<\/strong>
\nNH Housing Finance Authority NHHFA<\/strong>
\nNJ State Industrial Union Council<\/strong>
\nNY State Council of Churches<\/strong>
\nOakland County Welfare Rights<\/strong>
\nOccupy Ft Lauderdale Labor Outreach<\/strong>
\nOregon Action\u00a0<\/strong>
\nOregon WAND<\/strong>
\nPatriots for Change<\/strong>
\nPax Christi Northwest Minnesota<\/strong>
\nPeace Action Montgomery County<\/strong>
\nPeace Action New York State<\/strong>
\nPeace Action of Michigan<\/strong>
\nPeace Committee First Unitarian Denver\u00a0<\/strong>
\nPeace Economy Project<\/strong>
\nPeace Seekers of East Shore UU Church<\/strong>
\nPeaceworks Kansas City<\/strong>
\nPennsylvania Coalition for Peace Action<\/strong>
\nPeterCares House<\/strong>
\nPhysicians for Social Responsibility \u2013 Kansas City<\/strong>
\nPipe Organs\/Golden Ponds Farm\u2019s CEO<\/strong>
\nProgressive Maryland\u00a0<\/strong>
\nProgressOhio<\/strong>
\nProtecting Arizona\u2019s Family Coalition<\/strong>
\nPublic Justice Center<\/strong>
\nPuget Sound Nuclear Weapon Free Zone<\/strong>
\nSchenectady Inner City Ministry<\/strong>
\nSisters of I.H.M.<\/strong>
\nSisters of Mercy WMW Cedar Rapids, IA<\/strong>
\nSisters of Social Service<\/strong>
\nSomerville Homeless Coalition<\/strong>
\nSS Peter & Paul Church<\/strong>
\nTeens, Training and Taxes<\/strong>
\nTennessee Citizen Action\u00a0<\/strong>
\nUnited Action for Idaho<\/strong>
\nUpper Hudson Peace Action<\/strong>
\nUpper Hudson Peace Action<\/strong>
\nUSCCC<\/strong>
\nVES<\/strong>
\nVeterans For Peace, #92<\/strong>
\nVeterans For Peace, local chapter 39 NEOH<\/strong>
\nVirginia Organizing<\/strong>
\nVirginia United Methodist Women<\/strong>
\nWAND of Northern Indiana<\/strong>
\nWar vs Human Needs South Florida<\/strong>
\nWashington Community Action Network<\/strong>
\nWatertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment<\/strong>
\nWest Virginia Citizen Action Group<\/strong>
\nwilson dist co<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US Action and a number of other national and local organizations have written to Congress calling for an end to the Overseas Contingency Operations account, sometimes referred to as the Pentagon Slush Fund. Read the final letter with the signers below.\u00a0 \u00a0 We are writing you today as organizations with a wide variety of priorities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pep"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/USAction_logo.jpg?fit=470%2C588&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3084"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3086,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3084\/revisions\/3086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}