With less than two weeks to go before $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts will be triggered on March 1st, now is the time to pull the pork from the Pentagon so we can protect priorities like education, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, NOT Pentagon contractors.
The top five Pentagon contractor CEOs make more than Wall Street CEOs. They're building weapon systems we don't need and protecting their profits with an army of lobbyists. This is our money going directly to $20 million CEO salaries and lobbyists galore.
Already, over 80,000 USAction members have taken action to pull the pork from the Pentagon. Will you help us reach 90,000 by adding your name to the petition too?
With a deadline of March 1st right around the corner, we're ramping up our campaign to rein in runaway Pentagon spending. On Wednesday 2/27, we’re holding a Pull the Pork from the Pentagon National Day of Action with events across the country including in Washington, D.C. where we are taking the fight to Lockheed Martin's doorstep with a rally outside their offices.
And we have a fun surprise that we hope will garner some media attention, so we can put a spotlight on all the pork in the Pentagon. That’s right, we’re going to have a giant inflatable pig to represent all the wasteful Pentagon spending in the budget. So if you are in DC, you should come and check it out!
We've also launched a new great website where visitors can download posters, fact sheets and even delicious pork recipes -- and find event information or organize their own! Click here to check out PullThePork.org.
Our actions will turn up the heat on Pentagon spending around the country by keeping it in the public eye and demanding that Congress rein in wasteful Pentagon spending. Click here to add your name.
83% of Lockheed Martin's sales come from you and me, the American taxpayer. And they lobby day in and day out to protect their profits on wasteful programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which has a total cost estimated at $1.5 trillion!1
We've fought for years to cut this massive piece of pork from Lockheed Martin. The F-35 is an over-budget and unnecessary warplane. Even former Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the F-35 an “unnecessary and extravagant expense.”2
The F-35 is the perfect example of the massive waste and abuse throughout the Pentagon budget. But it’s just one example. Their budget is full of wasteful programs lining the pockets of contractor CEOs and lobbyists.
Lobbyists representing fat cat Pentagon contractors are already circling the halls of Congress to ensure they get the best deal. Now it’s time Congress heard from the People too. Join over 80,000 USAction members as we call on Congress to pull the pork from the Pentagon.
During last week’s State of the Union Address, President Obama warned that there were those in Washington who were working hard to prevent only the Pentagon cuts from going into effect on March 1st, preferring to cut from Medicare and Social Security instead.3 So it wasn't surprising when just days later, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) went on Fox News Sunday to propose cutting Obamacare to protect Pentagon pork.4
It’s just simple math. When everyone is being asked to tighten their belt and make do with less, we can't keep paying for things we don’t need and can’t afford so that we can pay for the things we do — like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Let’s rein in wasteful Pentagon spending for good. Sign the petition to pull the pork from the Pentagon today!
Sources:
1 - "F-35 Total Costs Soar to $1.5 Trillion; Lockheed Defends Program," AOL Defense, March 30, 2012
2 - "Misplaced Priorities in the F-35 Engine Debate," Center for American Progress, June 17, 2011
3 - "Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address," the New York Times, February 12, 2013
4 - "Sen. Lindsey Graham: Sacrifice Obamacare to avoid sequester," the Huffington Post, February 17, 2013