Letter to the Editor
Congress’s spending favors military weaponry over impoverished families
On Dec. 6, Sentinel readers learned about the B-21 Raider, a new long-range bomber capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The Air Force expects to have more than 100 of these B-21 stealth bombers. The cost for producing these is yet to be determined.
On Dec. 7, Sentinel readers learned that the child tax credit which assisted families in 2021, but was dropped to pre-pandemic level in 2022 may or may not be expanded for 2023.
On Dec. 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $858 billion military spending bill in its 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. This is an increase of $80 billion over the 2022 bill. According to the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, this $858 billion is more than the combined military budgets of China, India, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea.
“The cost of the bombers is unknown” stated an Associated Press story on Dec. 2. “The Air Force previously put the price for a buy of 100 aircraft at an average cost of $550 million each in 2010 dollars — roughly $753 million today — but it's unclear how much the Air Force is actually spending.”
"The Pentagon recently failed its fifth consecutive annual audit,” stated Cole Harrison, executive director of Massachusetts Peace Action. “Yet House members were quick to shower the unaccountable agency with taxpayers' money."
According to Harrison, “2.9 million children in the United States were lifted out of poverty in 2021 by the child tax credit, but that program expired after a year."
Is there enough time in December for Congress to pass a bill that would permanently increase the child tax credit? This would be a wise investment in the health and education of America’s future. What does it say about the priorities of our Congress if it approves exorbitant spending for a bloated military budget but short-changes families living in poverty?
Judy ParrHolland
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letter to the Editor: Congress’s spending favors military weaponry over impoverished families
