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Dear John,
Tonight President Trump will address Congress, and who knows what he’ll say. But it’s easy to get too swept up in what he says. Instead, watch what he does.
So far, the president’s actions and those of his administration speak volumes:
1. He put an unelected billionaire Pentagon contractor [[link removed]] in charge of federal government firings (after promising [[link removed]] to “clean up the military-industrial complex”).
2. Elon Musk’s firing brigade has so far left the Pentagon and its contractors in peace, even though Pentagon contracts cost more than all federal employees combined [[link removed]] (after reports that the Pentagon would cut spending, which turned out to be just moving money around [[link removed]] ).
3. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is said to be protecting updated nuclear weapons programs [[link removed]] from the reallocation of funds (after the president said [[link removed]] he’s interested in “denuclearization”).
4. A recent administration memo laid out plans to expedite deportations for 1 million immigrants [[link removed]] , some of whom entered the country legally (after leading many [[link removed]] to believe that deportations would target “millions and millions of criminal aliens” who, in fact, do not exist [[link removed]] ).
5. The president endorsed [[link removed]] the House budget framework that would cut Medicaid while putting billions more into the Pentagon (despite promises [[link removed]] not to touch Medicaid, and a vague statement [[link removed]] about cutting the Pentagon budget in half).
Some of these promises would be devastating if fulfilled - deporting millions can only happen if the administration targets millions of ordinary people who are cherished parts of their families and communities.
But others would actually be worthwhile - taking on the military-industrial complex and denuclearization are ideas we’ve championed for years. [[link removed]]
Those are still good ideas. Unfortunately, this administration so far places its fealty to the billionaire class [[link removed]] and the president’s penchant for imperialism-redux [[link removed]] world takeover plans above any of the ideas that would actually make the world safer.
So whatever he says tonight, keep watching what he does.
In solidarity,
Alliyah, Aspen, Hanna and Lindsay
P.S. - Applications for the 2025 Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program at the Institute for Policy Studies are open! If you’re a college student or young adult interested in public advocacy, research, and grassroots activism - or if you know of one - you can learn more about the fellowship and apply here [[link removed]] .
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TRADEOFF: HUMANITARIAN AID VS. FAMILY SEPARATION
The Trump Administration has frozen funding for USAID [[link removed]] and laid off thousands of federal workers responsible for implementing USAID’s global economic, humanitarian, and health assistance. The demolition of USAID could put 6 million people at risk of death [[link removed]] from ending HIV programs alone - to say nothing of shuttered Ebola prevention efforts [[link removed]] . The majority [[link removed]] of Americans oppose shutting down government agencies like USAID.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are pushing to increase spending for Trump’s mass deportation and detention agenda by at least $43.75 billion annually [[link removed]] , on top of the nearly $30 billion [[link removed]] each year already being spent on the two deadly border enforcement agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). And while Americans are split on the question of mass deportations, support for the idea quickly dwindles [[link removed]] once Americans are asked about specific plans like using the military for deportations or separating families.
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TRUMP AND GOP STACK THE DECK AGAINST STRUGGLING AMERICANS TO BUILD A WAR AND DEPORTATION MACHINE
The Republican-controlled House and Senate have both passed FY 2025 budget resolutions, the first step in the budget reconciliation process. Both budgets would increase spending for the Pentagon, mass deportations, and war profiteers by $300-$325 billion [[link removed]] . The House resolution also includes up to $2 trillion in cuts to health insurance, food aid and other services for struggling families, while providing $4.5 trillion in tax giveaways for corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
The plans expose the reality behind misleading reports of Pentagon cuts (really just moving money around [[link removed]] ) and statements the president has made about reeling in Pentagon spending.
It is unclear how the House and Senate will reconcile their different strategies [[link removed]] for funding Trump’s agenda before the current authorization expires. What is clear is the GOP’s extreme increase in militarized spending - paid for with massive cuts in social services at the expense of people and the planet - will make us all less secure.
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SHUT THEM DOWN! CLOSING MILITARY BASES IS LONG OVERDUE
On February 23, 2025, people across 27 countries and 61 actions gathered for an international day of action [[link removed]] to call for the closure of military bases around the world.
The estimated total price of maintaining all US military bases abroad costs taxpayers a whopping $80 billion [[link removed].] a year - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The global presence of the US military is massive with approximately 750 bases [[link removed]] in over 80 countries and colonies - which is at least three times [[link removed]] as many overseas bases as all other countries combined.
As Aspen Coriz-Romero writes [[link removed]] , closing bases means we could restore lands and ecosystems that have been co-opted for militarism, start to prioritize diplomacy over military supremacy, and make substantial investments in our communities - from education to housing and healthcare. The day of action reminds us that there are always opportunities to choose true safety for everyone.
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“Action is the antidote to despair.”
– Joan Baez, activist and American folk singer
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READ/ WATCH/ LISTEN
$100 Billion More for the Pentagon? No Thank You [[link removed]]
Chisom Okorafor, OtherWords
And the Oscar Goes to…The Pentagon! [[link removed]]
Ashley Gate, Responsible Statecraft
War Has Become a Force of Planetary Destruction [[link removed]]
Sunil S. Amrith, The New York Times
America Can’t Afford Trump’s Mass Deportations [[link removed]]
Alliyah Lusuegro, OtherWords
Bernie Sanders Hasn’t Stopped Arms Sales to Israel - But He Won’t Stop Trying [[link removed]]
Matt Sledge, The Intercept
Why Democrats Fail the Immigration Test Every Time [[link removed]]
Greisa Martínez Rosas, The New York Times
We’re Parents. Trump’s Attacks on Trans Kids Don’t Speak for Us. [[link removed]]
Khury Petersen-Smith, Basav Sen, Lindsay Koshgarian, OtherWords
LISTEN: Jasmine Crockett [[link removed]] on Pentagon waste, fraud, and abuse
The Breakfast Club
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