Yesterday’s vote on the People’s Budget marks the closest Congress has come to passing a budget that was truly designed to represent the values and needs of the American people. With a record 108 Democrats voting for the People’s Budget and key leaders like Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) on board, it’s clear the party supports smart reductions in Pentagon bloat and wise investments in diplomacy which will make Americans safer. All members of Congress who voted for the People’s Budget deserve the thanks of their constituents, but perhaps none more so than the Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI).
The majority of the Massachusetts House delegation voted in favor of the People’s Budget for the first time, with Rep. Joe Kennedy joining Reps. Jim McGovern, Katherine Clark, Mike Capuano, and Stephen Lynch in favor. Please thank them! Reps. Moulton, Tsongas, Neal, and Keating maintained their opposition by voting No.
The People’s Budget would help step America back from its endless war footing in the Middle East by prohibiting any expansion of U.S. combat troops in Syria, reducing Pentagon spending, and getting rid of the shadowy Pentagon slush fund, the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) budget. Planning for a proactive and just foreign policy, it would also invest in robust diplomatic and humanitarian strategies needed to address current conflicts and prevent new ones.
By adjusting Pentagon spending to smarter, more sustainable levels and implementing a fairer tax system for working families, the People’s Budget allows for more significant investment in our infrastructure, health care, the environment, housing, education and much more. As Democrats prepare for the 2018 election, they would do well to advocate for the real security of a government that invests in basic human needs rather than one that invests in the false security of endless war — including the futile U.S. war in Afghanistan which will reach its 16th anniversary on Friday.