WAND’s July Bulletin
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Federal Budget and Military Spending
On Friday, July 8 the House completed consideration of the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations Act, passing it by a vote of 336 to 87. The overall bill provides about $530 billion for the Department of Defense base budget - a $17 billion increase over this year. Additionally, $119 billion is provided for war spending. You can read WAND’s summary of key amendments here.
This week the House is considering the appropriations bill that spends money on nuclear weapons. Please check WAND’s website later this week for a summary of key amendments to this bill.
Even though austerity measures are being imposed for vital programs in the name of deficit reduction, cuts to military spending remain off the table. Barney Frank (D-MA) summed it up well when he said, “The military budget is not on the table. The military is at the table, and it is eating everybody else's lunch.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers are in the midst of intense negotiations to find a way to cut deficit spending and reduce the debt. Nancy Pelosi and 14 other Democratic women recently led a charge in protecting key programs earlier this week. House Minority Leader Pelosi marshaled women, a key constituency, in her attempt to protect Social Security benefits. In a Politico article the Minority Leader is quoted as saying, “We know firsthand the impact of changes in Medicare. We know it because we are women and caregivers….” Read the article here.
Last week, WAND took part in a “Twitter Town Hall Meeting” with President Obama, where he discussed reducing the deficit. We joined the voices of thousands of Americans to ask the President to re-direct U.S. spending away from the Pentagon towards social needs. Make sure you stay connected with WAND on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook so you don’t miss out on these vital opportunities to connect with lawmakers!
If you want to have your voice heard in the federal budget debate, be sure to take our Federal Budget Preference Poll.
Nuclear Weapons – Dangerous and Expensive
This week marks the 66th anniversary of the first nuclear weapons test explosion - Trinity. On July 16, 1944 at 5:30am MT an explosion produced power equivalent to 20 tons of TNT and shook the desert called Jornada del Muerto (Journey of Death) in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The explosion was the testing of the first nuclear weapon conducted by physicist Robert Oppenheimer. Sixty six years have passed since the testing of the first nuclear weapon and nuclear weapons remain a threat today. The United States and Russia possess the largest portion of the world’s nuclear weapons and we continue to pay the price for these weapons.
In a recent article by Joe Cirincione in The Atlantic Joe Cirincione points out the dangers and financial cost of continuing this nuclear history. The government is planning to spend almost $700 billion on nukes in the next 10 years - equivalent to the cost of the Iraq war over the past decade. To read the full article click here.
Women Legislators' Lobby
On July 1, many states began a new fiscal year, and for the fourth year in a row, most states are operating with significantly slashed budgets. Increasing the difficulties states face, this year the federal stimulus money that many states used to fill in budget gaps will mostly be gone. And although some states brought in slightly more in revenue this year than expected, it will not be enough to close budget shortfalls. We know all of our WiLL members had to make many tough choices and fought valiantly to protect the services on which their constituents count. Thank you for your hard work and public service!
Meanwhile in Washington, DC, the House just passed a defense appropriations bill that will allow defense spending to continue to rise while all other agencies will see their budgets cut (see WAND’s summary here.) Want to do something? Our upcoming conference will address the connections between state budgets and the federal budget. Get up-to-the-minute opinion research on people’s attitudes toward the government and learn how to explain to your community why we can and must responsibly reduce military spending! The conference will be held September 18-20 in Washington, DC. For more information contact Maureen Campbell at 202-544-5055 ext. 2603 or mcampbell@wand.org. Also check out our conference website!
You can also learn more about how best to communicate about government, budget and taxes on our upcoming webinar with Demos on Wednesday, August 3 from 3:00-4:00 pm EDT. Make the case for the critical services and programs you help your state and local governments to provide! For more information contact Maureen Campbell.
WAND PAC Announces First Endorsements for 2012
WAND/WiLL has encouraged women to run for higher office for 30 years and we’re back at it for the 2012 election cycle! Ours is the only political action committee committed to educating and advancing women in the arena of national security.
We’re pleased to announce our first endorsements in 2012! Ann McLane Kuster is running for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District for the second time. WAND endorsed Ann in her first bid for Congress in 2010, when she came within 1% of winning this seat. We're thrilled that she is running again! In Connecticut, Susan Bysiewicz is running for U.S. Senate. A former WiLL member, Susan served as a state representative for three successive terms from 1992 until 1998. She then served as Connecticut Secretary of State from 1999 to 2011. Both Susan and Ann have been vocal proponents for withdrawal from Afghanistan and are strong advocates of WAND’s issues.
WAND PAC will be keeping an eye on several other 2012 races. Among them are former WiLL member Lois Frankel for FL-22 and and WAND/WiLL woman U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, running for U.S. Senate in Nevada. Visit our 2011-2012 Endorsements website for the most up-to-date endorsement information!
WAND Member of the Month
Congratulations to Caroline Stevenson of Arkansas WAND for being selected as our Member of the Month! Caroline fostered the idea of building the Beacon of Peace and Hope monument and the Peace Garden as a gift to her community to symbolize the struggle to bring peace to the world. Her vision is now a reality with the completion of the monument and garden on the banks of the Arkansas River. Learn more about Caroline here.
Would you like to nominate an outstanding WAND member to be featured in the next E-bulletin? Simply send your nomination(s) and a brief statement about each candidate to WAND Field Coordinator Elaina Ramsey at eramsey@wand.org.
Chapter & Field News
Arkansas WAND Celebrates the 4th of July
Remaining true to tradition, Arkansas WAND celebrated Independence Day on the U.S.S. Razorback Submarine. Guests enjoyed fireworks, music, and food from the deck of the U.S.S. Razorback. Participants also checked out the Beacon of Peace and Hope and the newly planted Peace Garden, located near the docked submarine. A great time was had by all!
Patriot for Peace
Karen Jacob, our WAND Inc. board chair and Northern Indiana WAND chapter leader, published a compelling op-ed for Independence Day. As a patriot for peace, Karen wrote about her values and budget priorities. Her op-ed was published in a number of print and online newspapers around the country. The WAND community is lucky to be represented in the media by Karen!
Georgia WAND Announces a New Blog
To get the scoop on justice issues in Georgia, be sure to read Georgia WAND’s new blog! On July 1 Georgia WAND launched their blog featuring the reflections of local members. Email courtney@wand.org for more information or to contribute blog posts. Check out Georgia WAND’s latest blog articles here.
Upcoming Events
WAND Supports a Nuclear Free Future: July 16
WAND and a number of local groups are sponsoring the Festival for a Nuclear-Free Future on July 16 in Boston, MA. The festival is free and family-friendly. Come and enjoy games, puppets, skits, music, dances, and information about what ordinary citizens can do to promote a saner, safer world without nuclear weapons. Check out the webpage for more information.
Join Oregon WAND in Walking for Peace: July 20-August 8
Oregon WAND invites you to join the Nipponzan Myohoji Annual Peace Walk,July 20-August 8. With the theme "For a Nuclear Free Future in Respect for Mother Earth," the walk serves as a reminder of the critical dangers presented by nuclear weapons and Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. For more information, click here.
Conference
Planning for the 2011 WiLL/WAND conference is in full swing! This year’s conference will be held September 18-20 at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, just minutes away from the Capitol. Our biennial conference is an inspiring and empowering three-day event. Highly regarded media/message trainers will offer valuable skills-building sessions. Dynamic women speakers will discuss women’s political participation and our efforts to create a safer world for generations to come. On the final day, we’ll go to the Capitol to lobby our Senators and Representatives! Maureen Campbell and Elaina Ramsey are co-planning the conference. For more information, call 202-544-5055 or email will@wand.org. Check out our website for more information or to register!
And get involved!!
Join us for a webinar: "Making the Case for Government and the Revenues it Needs to do its Job Well" on Wednesday, August 3 at 3:00pm.
This webinar is being provided in partnership with Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector and will offer compelling and research-driven recommendations about how to communicate about government, budget and taxes in a way that can create a more productive public conversation. You can learn more and sign up for the webinar here.
Don't forget the Federal Budget Poll. WAND wants to know what type of federal budget you support! Take part in our poll here.
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