BEN COHEN
WARREN LANGLEY
President of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, Cohen said today: “Spending on weapons rose nearly 20 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, and President Bush is continuing to demand more funding for exorbitantly priced Cold War weapons. It’s time to provide a strong foundation for growth for the American people — not just for military contractors. The Pentagon budget needs to be subjected to the cost-cutting methodology of a business executive intent on ferreting out waste.” Langley is board chair of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities and former president of the Pacific Stock Exchange.
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Rev. LENNOX YEARWOOD Jr.
President of the Hip Hop Caucus, Rev. Yearwood said today: “We have taken a disastrous turn in this country by putting military needs before human needs. People are literally dying from federal budget decisions that the administration has advocated for and Congress has approved. It is time for a government that is passionate about humanity and puts people and the health of our planet first.
“Over half of our discretionary budget is spent by the Pentagon bureaucracy, which does not include additional spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or most homeland security programs. Instead of this near-criminal misuse of taxpayers’ money, Congress and the president need to reallocate funds towards a universal health care program, access to affordable housing, expanded job training programs, and energy efficiency and environmental conservation. Until we fundamentally change how we as a nation prioritize our spending for the needs of the people, there will be no peace in our communities at home or abroad.”
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ANITA DANCS
Research director of the National Priorities Project, Dancs said today: “The administration requested another $100 billion in additional war spending for fiscal year 2007. If Congress appropriates the money as requested, total funding for the Iraq war this fiscal year will climb to more than $140 billion, with nearly a half trillion dollars allocated for the Iraq war in total so far. That money could have provided health care to all the uninsured children in the U.S for as long as the war has lasted; AND provided four-year college scholarships (tuition and fees) to all graduating seniors; AND built half a million affordable housing units; AND fully funded the amount the Coast Guard estimates is needed for port security; AND tripled the DOE energy conservation budget; AND still have enough left over to reduce this year’s budget deficit by at least half.”
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For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
