On this edition of Your Call, we discuss the record setting $866B military spending bill, which recently passed the Senate and House.
Only 11 Senators voted against the bill. Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders introduced an amendment that would’ve cut the Pentagon budget by 10 percent. He said the Pentagon cannot keep track of the dollars it already has, leading to massive waste, fraud and abuse in the sprawling military-industrial complex. The amendment failed 88-11.
On the House side, the bill passed 219-210, largely along party lines because of Republican sponsored anti-abortion and anti-trans amendments.
Lawmakers will now work out a compromise version of the two.
Once again, the bill failed to get the major media coverage it deserved. What will it take to change that?
Guest:
Bill Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and author of several books, including Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex
Web Resources:
The Hill: These 11 senators voted against the must-pass defense spending bill
Responsible Statecraft: Senate bails out the weapons industry once again
TomDispatch: The Profiteers of Armageddon: Oppenheimer and the Birth of the Nuclear-Industrial Complex
Responsible Statecraft: The Pentagon’s $52,000 trash can
US Department of Defense: Department of Defense Releases the President's Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Budget
