Our nation spends over half of its discretionary budget on the military, more than the next seven nations combined (several of which are our allies). No conceivable military threat to the United States can justify such a massive military expenditure. President Trump is proposing even more increases in military spending (and prisons) and corresponding cuts in necessary domestic programs including housing, environment, education and more. He proposes a $1 trillion expenditure on a new nuclear arsenal including new bombers, submarines, missiles, weapons production facilities, and destabilizing offensive nuclear weapons. Past increases in Federal military spending have severely undercut the amount of Federal support for Massachusetts transportation, education, housing, health care, infrastructure, and human services, which have increasingly forced state taxpayers to shoulder the burden of providing these essential services.
Massachusetts Democrats support:
- Responsible reductions in military spending and oppose any increases, especially new nuclear weapons programs. We call for steep increases in spending to address the Commonwealth’s people’s need for housing, health care, response to climate change, food security, and education. The Massachusetts Democrats call for shifting Federal resources to these needs from the bloated military budget. We call for corporations and higher incomes to pay their fair share. We call for the state government to educate Massachusetts taxpayers on how Federal dollars are spent, how this is changing, and how it impacts on the Massachusetts budget and taxpayers.
- Healthy funding levels for scientific research. Massachusetts is very dependent on federal grant money from such federal programs as the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. If these grants disappear, the state must ensure the funding levels continue.
- Support for public media Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Public Broadcasting System, and the arts, as well.