Congressional Pentagon budget increases, which totaled over $21 billion for procurement & R&D in FY24, should be subject to basic transparency measures, like identifying who proposed them. I explain why in @Defense_News defensenews.com/opinion/2024/0…

War is a racket, and so is the drumbeat for great power conflict. My take on the argument for a military buildup to "deter" China or Russia, and its potential economic consequences. stimson.org/2024/the-ugly-…

We agree the F-35 took on too many missions, leading to an overly complex & costly design. But w/ the next-generation fighter, the question isn’t just manned or unmanned—it's whether we need a new fighter at all. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

Congress is in overtime on key Pentagon policy & spending bills. Will lawmakers bust the budget caps & make it easier for contractors to rip off the Pentagon? Or will they practice fiscal responsibility & stand strong for taxpayers & national security? taxpayer.net/national-secur…

REPORT: The military industry spends hundreds of millions lobbying & tens of millions on campaign contributions each year. Our report breaks down the numbers & highlights the industry’s success in leveraging this influence to get taxpayer-funded bailouts. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

🎃This Halloween, lawmakers are trick-or-treating for the military industry, dressing up a $21 billion Pentagon spending boost as an “emergency” to scare away the budget caps, & adding billions more in treats the Pentagon never asked for.🎃 taxpayer.net/national-secur…

🚨For the first time, interest payments on national debt leapfrogged Pentagon spending. Excessive Pentagon spending is one of the leading causes of this spiraling debt crisis. This calls for more strategic prioritization, not another Pentagon budget hike. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

The submarine industry can't build submarines on time & on budget partly b/c it's prioritized stock buybacks over workforce investments. The Pentagon’s answer? Have taxpayers pay for submarine workforce recruitment & training. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

🚨@SenWarren, @SenatorBraun, @ChuckGrassley & @SenMikeLee reintro'd the Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act! This Common Sense bill protects taxpayers & nat'l security by repealing requirements for unfunded priorities that fuel wasteful Pentagon spending warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press…

Read this op-ed from @omar_tabuni in the @clarionledger: "If Wicker wants to improve military readiness, rather than throwing more money at the problem without a clear plan, he should focus on reforms that will reduce wasteful spending at the Pentagon." clarionledger.com/story/opinion/…

In a House Oversight hearing yesterday, lawmakers pressed the Pentagon on why it still can’t pass an audit. They can & should go further by supporting the Audit the Pentagon Act, which would impose real accountability for future failures taxpayer.net/national-secur…

OUR TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM BOTH FY25 NDAAs: -The Senate version authorizes $25 BILLION above the budget caps. -The Senate + House versions authorize significant funds for the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N)... (1/3) armscontrolcenter.org/comparative-su…

"Emergency" spending in the Pentagon budget is a dangerous gimmick, writes @GabeRMurphy in @RStatecraft "Budgeting for national security... necessitates fiscal discipline & strategic prioritization, not unconstrained spending dressed up as an emergency." responsiblestatecraft.org/pentagon-budge…

The Navy just inked a nearly $1,000,000,000 contract to recruit workers for the submarine industrial base. Why isn’t the industry paying for its own workforce recruitment? Why was this a sole-source contract? Taxpayers would like some answers taxpayer.net/national-secur…

A BILLION DOLLARS for a couple million pageviews/year? Has @USNavy heard of Google Ads? military.com/daily-news/202…

Congress wants some 1,500 Pentagon spending hikes in FY2025 for research & procurement—over $38,000,000,000 worth. Over 90% of them don't disclose their sponsors. In our Weekly Wastebasket, we break down the numbers & call for transparency taxpayer.net/national-secur…

Lawmakers went on a spending spree for Pentagon contractors in the FY2025 budget bills, adding >$38 billion in “program increases” for procurement & research projects. Our analysis shows the upward trend & calls for transparency taxpayer.net/national-secur…

Lawmakers proposed ~1,500 spending hikes for Pentagon procurement & research accounts for FY25—over $38,000,000,000 in adds. That’s more than the Commerce & Transportation Department budgets combined! @johnmdonnelly of @RollCall has the story rollcall.com/2024/09/12/def…

NEW: Lawmakers want to spend $38 billion this fiscal year creating or adding money for 1,499 weapons-related programs—none of which were requested, ⁦@taxpayers⁩ data shows. These annual sprees have ballooned lately. The military value is unclear. rollcall.com/2024/09/12/def…

The NDS commission wrote 132 pages on the need to fearmonger the American ppl into supporting drastic increases to military spending... w/o providing a single cost estimate. It's anywhere between $5 and $10 trillion. @capreble & I break it down @thehill! thehill.com/opinion/nation…

The F-35 is still the most expensive weapon program in history, and it’s still only fully operational 30 percent of the time. Now they want next-generation fighters at 3 times the cost per plane? We have some concerns: stripes.com/opinion/2024-0…