This is not your grandfather’s military-industrial complex.
by Ben Freeman and William D. Hartung, Tom Dispatch
The military-industrial complex (MIC) that President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned Americans about more than 60 years ago is still alive and well. In fact, it’s consuming many more tax dollars and feeding far larger weapons producers than when Ike raised the alarm about the “unwarranted influence” it wielded in his 1961 farewell address to the nation.
The statistics are stunning. This year’s proposed budget for the Pentagon and nuclear weapons work at the Department of Energy is $886 billion — more than twice as much, adjusted for inflation, as at the time of Eisenhower’s speech. The Pentagon now consumes more than half the federal discretionary budget, leaving priorities like public health, environmental protection, job training, and education to compete for what remains. In 2020, Lockheed Martin received $75 billion in Pentagon contracts, more than the entire budget of the State Department and the Agency for International Development combined.
This year’s spending just for that company’s overpriced, underperforming F-35 combat aircraft equals the full budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And as a new report from the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies revealed recently, the average taxpayer spends $1,087 per year on weapons contractors compared to $270 for K-12 education and just $6 for renewable energy.
Recent Posts
‘A Day Without Immigrants’: Protests Against Trump’s Mass Deportation Plans Across U.S.
Take Action Now “D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes, and make the city a vibrant place to…
Fed Employee Unions Sue Over Musk’s Government Takeover
Take Action Now“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has allowed unelected billionaires and their lackeys unfettered access to…
Trump’s Energy Pick Wants To Export Climate Destruction
Take Action NowChris Wright turns a real issue into a neat talking point for the destruction of the planet.By Gabriel Colburn, Foreign…
On Solidarity, Love, and Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing, a Zero Hour Conversation with Rebecca Vilkomerson
Take Action Now The book and interview underscore the importance of long-term organizing, solidarity, and creating spaces for political and spiritual…