“Reckless misuse of resources": Congress passes $778 billion military budget

This article originally appeared at Common Dreams. That reality led Stephen Miles, executive director of Win Without War, to slam the $778 billion National Defense Authorization Act as "a reckless misuse of resources, a windfall for war profiteers, and proof positive that most in Congress have little concern for the actual security of people in the United States or around the world." "Little could be more revealing of our nation's broken budget priorities," Miles added, "than the fact that this rubberstamp of three-quarters of a trillion dollars for warmaking was prioritized and will soon pass with bipartisan support, while the Build Back Better Act — which would invest in meeting real human needs — has been watered down and pushed to the back burner." "There was no CBO score needed," Bowman added, a jab at conservative Democrats who have complained incessantly about the size of the Build Back Better Act without raising similar concerns about the bloated military budget. Additionally, as Miles noted, the bill "fails to end U.S. complicity in the war in Yemen, excludes critical measures to rein in out-of-control executive war powers, and doubles down on a dangerous Cold War mindset towards China" with $7.1 billion for the so-called Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which progressives have deemed an "anti-China slush fund."