Lee, Pocan Urge President Biden to Reduce Defense Spending Following Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Washington, D.C. – Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Mark Pocan (WI-02), Co-Chairs of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, sent a letter calling on President Biden to reallocate the $50 billion saved by withdrawing troops from Afghanistan to address domestic priorities and human needs:
“While your commitment to withdrawing U.S. troops is commendable and long-overdue, it should be accompanied by a corresponding commitment to reducing military spending,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “We urge you to reconfigure your Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget request to, at minimum, reflect the ‘peace dividend’ gained by exiting the war in Afghanistan.”
“Your Administration has a historic opportunity to reduce our overreliance on militarized approaches to global challenges and reallocate resources accordingly,” the lawmakers continued. “We therefore urge you to not only follow through on your pledge to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but also to propose a corresponding lower Pentagon topline in your forthcoming full budget request.”
The 20-year war in Afghanistan – the longest war in American history – has wasted more than $2.6 trillion in taxpayer dollars and killed more than 238,000 individuals since 2001. President Biden plans to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by September 2021.
For the full text of the letter, click here.
President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden:
We enthusiastically welcome your recently-announced plans to withdraw American troops from the 20-year war in Afghanistan by September 2021, an important step in stopping endless warfighting that has wasted more than $2.6 trillion taxpayer dollars and killed more than 238,000 individuals since 2001.
While your commitment to withdrawing U.S. troops is commendable and long-overdue, it should be accompanied by a corresponding commitment to reducing military spending. We urge you to reconfigure your Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget request to, at minimum, reflect the “peace dividend” gained by exiting the war in Afghanistan.
Estimates indicate that as much as $50 billion will be freed up by withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. Reallocating that funding to domestic priorities and human needs would expand your Build Back Better agenda. It could end homelessness in the United States, provide increased health coverage to Americans in need, or contribute to the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your Administration has a historic opportunity to reduce our overreliance on militarized approaches to global challenges and reallocate resources accordingly. We therefore urge you to not only follow through on your pledge to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but also to propose a corresponding lower Pentagon topline in your forthcoming full budget request. We also request a detailed description of the savings generated by the forthcoming troop withdrawal, and an explanation of where those cost-savings will be reallocated. The people of the United States deserve nothing less.
Sincerely,
Mark Pocan
Member of Congress
Barbara Lee
Member of Congress
Alma S. Adams, Ph.D.
Member of Congress
Jake Auchincloss
Member of Congress
Peter A. DeFazio
Member of Congress
Dwight Evans
Member of Congress
Jesús G. "Chuy" García
Member of Congress
Raúl Grijalva
Member of Congress
Jared Huffman
Member of Congress
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Member of Congress
Ilhan Omar
Member of Congress
Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress
Rashida Tlaib
Member of Congress
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Member of Congress
Peter Welch
Member of Congress
Adriano Espaillat
Member of Congress
Ro Khanna
Member of Congress
Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress
Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D.
Member of Congress
Jimmy Gomez
Member of Congress
Nydia M. Velázquez
Member of Congress
Brian Higgins
Member of Congress
Mondaire Jones
Member of Congress