• Home
• Issues
  • Prevent War
  • Afghanistan
  • Nuclear Disarmament
  • Federal Budget
  • Environment
  • Immigration
  • Native American
  • More Issues
• Take Action
  • Action Center
  • Contact Congress
  • Grassroots Toolkit
  • War Is Not the Answer
• Join the Network
  • On Quakers
• For Young Adults
• FCNL Green Building
• Donate
• Links

Money Matters: No More Money for War - 5/13/09

Money Matters

No More Money for War

5/13/09

^I. Oppose War Funding: Call Your Representative Today
^II. President Releases Detailed FY 2010 Budget
^III. Weakened Weapons Acquisition Overhaul Passes Senate, Moves to House
^IV. Housing Bill Passes Senate (Without Bankruptcy Option)
^V. Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Moves Forward, Faces Road Blocks

I. Oppose War Funding: Call Your Representative Today at 800-517-5696

The House is voting this week on a war spending bill (called a supplemental appropriation) that would provide billions more in funding for the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Your representative needs to hear that you oppose this legislation. Call 800-517-5696 right now to urge your representative to oppose this bill. War is not the answer in Afghanistan, and more troops will not bring peace to the region. Find our suggested talking points and tips on making your call.

II. President Releases Detailed FY 2010 Budget

The Obama administration released a detailed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2010 on Thursday, May 7th. Although Congress already passed a joint budget resolution in April, which sets the broad outlines for federal spending and revenues in the next fiscal year, the new release provides specific details that will help guide the appropriations committees as they decide on funding allocations to specific programs.

The budget includes $533.8 billion for the Pentagon and $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pentagon’s budget would be about $20 billion more than the FY 2009 military budget, after $9 billion in weapons programs cuts. The budget includes a significant increase to the international affairs budget, investing in violence prevention and non-military responses to violence. It also continues investments in renewable energy established by the recovery package. Details of the domestic discretionary budget include significant funding increases for early education, supports for low-income college students, housing programs, child nutrition programs and a $630 billion universal health care reserve fund to reform the U.S. health care system.

The budget process is far from over. The joint budget resolution calls for a $10 billion reduction in non-military discretionary spending compared to the president’s budget proposals. Now it’s up to the appropriations committees to decide which programs won’t receive as much as the president proposed funding levels. FCNL is concerned that we could see substantial decreases to important international affairs and domestic human needs programs. On the military spending side, many members of Congress are opposed to the proposed weapons programs cuts. We’ll be working hard in the coming weeks to support the president’s proposal to eliminate several weapons systems and to promote further military spending reductions.

See details of the FY 2010 budget proposal

III. Weakened Weapons Acquisition Overhaul Passes Senate, Moves to House

The Pentagon’s 96 major weapons programs are currently over budget by a total of $296 billion. That cost over-run, all by itself, would be enough to fund the combined FY09 budgets of the Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Labor, Veteran’s Affairs, and International Assistance.

This past Thursday, the Senate passed the Weapons Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (S 454) by 93-0 and the House Armed Services Committee approved their version (HR 2101), by a vote of 59-0, and is expected to pass the entire House today. Despite the overwhelming support for these bills, the marked-up versions stripped much of the bills’ authority to actually regulate weapons cost growth. Both bills include broad waivers that allow the Pentagon to ignore key provisions of the bills for “national security” reasons—a waiver that could be applied to nearly any situation. Both bills also fail to have adequate oversight, allowing the Pentagon to do its own cost analysis in most cases. FCNL opposes both bills in their current forms because neither the House nor the Senate version will adequately reform the acquisition process, and passing them could stall real reform.

See more on the Weapons Acquisition Reform Act

FCNL’s letter to the Senate on the Weapons Acquisition Reform Act

 

IV. Housing Bill Passes Senate (Without Bankruptcy Option)

The Senate passed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (S 896) last Wednesday by a vote of 91-5. The legislation would help families refinance to safer mortgages and avoid foreclosure by expanding loan options through the Hope for Homeowners program and lowering mortgage interest rates. Unlike the House version of the bill, the Senate-passed version does not include the ability for homeowners to modify their mortgage in bankruptcy court, a provision that could be used as a last resort to help families in immediate danger of foreclosure save their home. The Senate version did gain a positive amendment from Senator Kerry (MA), allowing renters to stay in foreclosed homes for 90 days or until their lease expires. The bill is expected to go to conference and become law before the Memorial Day recess.

More information on the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act

V. Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Moves Forward, Faces Road Blocks

The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights would place tighter regulations on credit card companies, discouraging abusive lending practices by restricting when they can raise interest rates, when payments are due, and what kind of information they have to disclose to consumers. The House version (HR 627) passed by a vote of 357-70 on April 30th, but the bill has been stalled in the Senate (S 414) where Sen. Chris Dodd (CT) has been advocating for even tighter regulations. In particular, Senator Dodd wants a provision that would prohibit credit card companies from raising interest rates on outstanding debt even if a late payment is made. The Senate has reached a deal on this provision, determining that credit card companies could begin raising interest rates 60 days after a late payment.

Unfortunately, the Senate accepted an amendment yesterday, proposed by Senator Coburn (OK), that would allow people to carry firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. It is also likely that the Senate will pass an amendment limiting immigrants’ ability to apply for credit cards. The House version does not include these provisions and FCNL supports their removal from the final conference agreement between the House and Senate.