~ Submitted by Marcia Cowles Bushnell
After [the] US withdrawal from Afghanistan, one would hope that the US military budget would be reduced, not increased. Representative Seth Moulton has promised to address our neglected educational systems, infrastructure, and to mitigate climate change. But instead, he voted, to increase the military budget by 24 billion dollars more than the $753b requested by President Biden.
Moulton also voted to give an additional 1 billion to fund Israel’s Iron Dome weaponry even though Israel annually receives $3.8 billion in US tax dollars. None of this gift money is subject to Congressional oversight.
Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota introduced an oversight bill, H.R. 2590, that would prohibit these $3 billion in funds from being used for the military detention of children, home demolitions, and annexation. The bill does not eliminate Israel funding, it provides oversight capability. Moulton has not yet signed on to this bill, helpful for taxpayers. Moulton acknowledged: “10,000 Palestinian children have been detained by the Israeli military prisons since 2000.” Surely this needs oversight.
In 2019 Moulton said, “I know how important it is to support your allies, however imperfect they may be, and I understand the critical role American aid, to our various Middle Eastern allies, plays for regional security.” (Moulton Statement on HR4391 of the 115th Congress & HR 2407 of the 116th Congress)
I believe this moral decision to sell arms to dictators that oppress others is not helpful for US relations when those weapons are used to suppress those seeking respite from repressive governments.
Moulton voted against an amendment to end US support for the Saudi Arab war on Yemen. Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy/dictatorship, is guilty of human rights abuses and suppression of women’s rights. (Dictators receiving US tax dollars are: Egypt 1.2b, Jordan 1.2b, Ethiopia 1.1b, Iraq 5b. and many others. (http://howmuch.net.)
Moulton also voted to fund the nuclear Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, which would replace 300 aging nuclear ground rockets. Early cost estimates are $264b of which contractor Northrop Grumman has received $13.3b. Multiple organizations oppose GBSD as wasteful, unnecessary, and dangerous targets. (Wikipedia).
Our unaudited, military budget is the largest in the world. If Moulton continues to support tax dollars for war, he isn’t making our country stronger, he is weakening it.
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