2010 March Bulletin
FEDERAL BUDGET WATCH
| Both WAND and WiLL delivered letters this week urging Congress to trim the fat in the Pentagon budget, read on for more information!
Read the letters here: WAND & WiLL FEDERAL BUDGET FY 2011 On February 1, President Obama released his FY2011 budget proposal. His proposal to freeze all non-security related discretionary spending set off an energetic debate about the priorities reflected in his budget. For over 15 years now, WAND and WiLL have been talking about the ways we can reduce the excessive Pentagon budget and enhance our real security, and we were glad to hear more people talking about it this year! Check out the articles below to see what others are saying! House Minority Leader John Boehner and Speaker Nancy Pelosi both call for including discretionary defense spending in any spending freeze. Defense Analysts Blast Military Exemption to Spending Freeze New York Times Editorial on the Defense Budget |
| Dr. Gordon Adams Testifies before the Senate Budget Committee Henry L Stimson Center | 2/23/10 Dr. Gordon Adams, Professor of International Relations at American University and Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, urged Congress to include the defense budget in the discretionary spending freeze the administration proposed in its FY 2011 budget request delivered February 1, 2010. Doing so would save the American taxpayer significant resources, since more than half of America’s discretionary spending is in the defense budget, which the administration exempted from its freeze proposal. Budget Priorities Working Group, Led by WAND, Delivers Letter to Congress On March 10, 2010 the Budget Priorities Working Group delivered a letter signed by over 140 national and regional groups calling for a freeze to military spending in the FY11 budget. The campaign for the letter was led by WAND's Marie Rietmann and was signed by 38 national organizations as well as 110 state, regional, or community organizations. Read the letter here. |
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| WOMEN'S VOICES |
| WAND Executive Director Susan Shaer Invited to The White House
March is Women's History Month and March 8th is International Women's Day. In celebration of these events, Executive Director Susan Shaer was invited by the President and First Lady Michelle Obama to attend a reception at the White House on Monday, March 8th. Also in attendance were Madeline Albright, actress Kerry Washington, American Idol finalist Katherine McPhee, Congresswomen from around the country, and other women leaders. To learn more about the event, please go here. To learn more about Women's History Month and International Women's Day check out this website. |
| WAND's National Membership MonthIn January WAND launched its first Membership Month! We sent out the call for current members to renew and new members to join! Thank you so much to everyone who participated. We continue to welcome new and renewing members to join with us in this exciting year.
We're also very proud of our WAND Chapters who worked hard to boost their membership. Special Congratulations to Arkansas WAND- the WAND chapter with the highest amount of new and returning members in January. Congress Meets Community Congress plays an essential role in establishing the agenda for vital security and budget priority issues. It's important for Congress to hear from you. The next opportunity to meet with Congress at home will be over the Easter/Passover Recess from Friday, March 26th - Monday, April 12th. Contact to find out more. Check out our Congress Meets Community |
| NUCLEAR NOTES |
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March 1st: 10th Anniversary of the National Nuclear Security Administration
March 5th: 40th Anniversary of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty March 14th-17th: Alliance for Nuclear Accountability Annual DC Days |
| CTBT Success in Utah Congratulations to Utah Representatives and Will Members Jennifer Seelig, Trisha Beck, and Becky Edwards! With their dedication and the tremendous efforts of HEAL Utah, the Utah House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution in support of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). As the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Seelig successfully convinced every member of the House that support of the CTBT is in the best interests of our national security and our health. The passage of this resolution in the Utah House of Representatives is further proof that there is strong bipartisan support for the ratification of the CTBT. Once people learn the facts, they realize this treaty will make us safer and prevent tragedies like the ones experienced by families all over Utah who were victims of effects from testing. We’re proud to report that three WiLL members were so closely involved in this effort. Representative Trisha Beck stated that the training and information she received at the WiLL & WAND conference helped ensure she was prepared to present all the facts her colleagues needed to be convinced to vote for the resolution. How did they do it? WiLL members Rep. Beck and Rep Edwards issued a statement on the effects of the nuclear testing. Check out their statement here. For more information on the resolution, access to the bill language, vote count, and more- go here For a great resource on nuclear testing and the CTBT check out the project for the CTBT. |
| Obama's Nuclear Posture Review Will Set Tone for U.S. Weapons Policy Washington Post | Mary Beth Sheridan and Walter Pincus | 3/5/2010 President Obama's top national security advisers will within days present him with an agonizing choice on how to guide U.S. nuclear weapons policy for the rest of his term. Does he substantially advance his bold pledge to seek a world free of nuclear weapons by declaring that the "sole purpose" of the U.S. arsenal is to deter other nations from using them? Or does he embrace a more modest option, supported by some senior military officials, that deterrence is the "primary purpose"? |
| IRAQ -- and now! Afghanistan as well! |
| House Liberals Force Vote on Pullout From Afghanistan Washington Post | Perry Bacon Jr. | 3/9/10 House leaders will allow three hours of formal debate, probably Wednesday, on an antiwar resolution written by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), one of the leading antiwar voices in Congress. The resolution, which has 16 co-sponsors, calls for the United States to remove all of its troops from Afghanistan in 30 days -- or by the end of the year, if it is determined that trying to do so in a month would be too dangerous. |
| NEWS FROM WiLL |
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On Wednesday, March 10th, WiLL delivered a letter on federal budget priorities to Congress. A total of 285 women state legislators signed the letter urging Congress to reconsider spending portions of the discretionary budget. We can responsibly trim the Pentagon budget without sacrificing our safety and redirect that spending towards other programs that create more jobs and address some of the most pressing issues we face today (like climate change and education). |
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