Tomorrow (Wednesday) the House is scheduled to take up the Fiscal Year 2013 defense approprations bill. Contact your House member today to urge him/her to support amendments that will reduce Pentagon spending.

Background: The defense bill provides $519.2 billion for the Pentagon's "base budget," an increase of $1.1 billion over last year, as well as $88.5 billion in war funding, primarily for Afghanistan. Amendments to the bill will be voted on this week, beginning Wednesday and likely continuing through Friday.

Urge your member to support the following amendments:

1. Any amendment to reduce the "topline" -- the overall amount of funding in the bill. Expected amendments include one by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to freeze funding at the FY2012 level, another to bring Pentagon spending in line with Budget Control Act caps, and another to cut the base budget by $19 billion.

2. Amendments to cut the nuclear weapons budget by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

The votes on these amendments could help shape the bargaining later this year over how much the military budget will be cut as part of any deficit reduction agreement.

Faith reflection: "They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals...[Therefore] flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their lives; those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves..." (Amos 2:6b, 14-15). At a time when poverty programs are facing significant cuts, it is unconscionable that Congress is proposing an increase to the Pentagon budget.

Action: Please send an email or call your House member today to urge him/her to support amendments that will reduce Pentagon spending.

If you are calling, you can call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your representative's office. (If you are not sure who your representative is, click here.) When your call is transferred, ask for the aide who works on military spending. You can leave a message if they do not answer.

Sample call:
"Hi, my name is ....... and I'm from [hometown]. I'm calling to urge you to support amendments to the defense appropriations bill that will reduce the topline, including the Mulvaney-Frank amendment to freeze funding levels at FY2012. I also urge you to support Rep. Markey's amendments to cut the nuclear weapons budget. The U.S. already spends as much on its military as the rest of the world combined, and it is unconscionable to make cuts to poverty programs while increasing funding for the Pentagon. Thank you for hearing my views."

If you prefer to send an email, click here.

Alert prepared July 17, 2012 by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, Director, rals@mcc.org.