While social spending is pared back, Congress passes the largest defense budget since WWII without much of a debate. Why are Democrats doing this?
By Fred Kaplan, Slate
By an overwhelming margin, the House passed a bill to spend $778 billion on defense next year, $25 billion more than what President Joe Biden had requested. The Senate is expected to second the motion within days.
The sum—a five percent increase over last year’s defense bill—amounts to the nation’s largest military-spending bill since World War II, even adjusting for inflation.

Yet no officials or lawmakers have spelled out why the budget—which includes $740 billion for the Pentagon and $28 billion for the Energy Department’s nuclear-weapons programs—needs to be quite this huge. (Another $10 billion is for defense-related activities by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and a few other agencie).
Recent Posts
I Was Fired From Emerson College For Speaking Out About Palestine, But I Refuse To Be Silent
May 21, 2025
Take Action Now Anna Feder is suing Emerson College for firing her over her Palestine activism. She says she will never stop advocating for a free…
The Path To Medicare for All
May 21, 2025
Take Action Now How can the U.S. take steps to join the rest of the developed world in adopting single-payer health care?By Dean Baker,…
(Not Quite) Tinder For New Activists: “Why Don’t We Already Have This?”
May 20, 2025
Take Action Now Many people are looking for a way to do something. They have heard that we the people — all of us — may be the last functioning…
What Could The Pentagon’s Record $1 Trillion Budget Pay For Instead?
May 20, 2025
Take Action Now President Trump is seeking a record $1 trillion budget for the Pentagon in 2026. What else could we do with that much money?By…