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:

He put an unelected billionaire Pentagon contractor in charge of federal government firings (after promising to “clean up the military-industrial complex”).
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 (after reports that the Pentagon would cut spending, which turned out to be just moving money around).
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is said to be protecting updated nuclear weapons programs from the reallocation of funds (after the president said he’s interested in “denuclearization”).
A recent administration memo laid out plans to expedite deportations for 1 million immigrants, some of whom entered the country legally (after leading many to believe that deportations would target “millions and millions of criminal aliens” who, in fact, do not exist).
The president endorsed the House budget framework that would cut Medicaid while putting billions more into the Pentagon (despite promises not to touch Medicaid, and a vague statement 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.

Those are still good ideas. Unfortunately, this administration so far places its fealty to the billionaire class and the president’s penchant for imperialism-redux 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.

TRADEOFF: HUMANITARIAN AID VS. FAMILY SEPARATION

The Trump Administration has frozen funding for USAID 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 from ending HIV programs alone - to say nothing of shuttered Ebola prevention efforts. The majority 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, on top of the nearly $30 billion 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 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. 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) and statements the president has made about reeling in Pentagon spending.

It is unclear how the House and Senate will reconcile their different strategies 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 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 a year - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The global presence of the US military is massive with approximately 750 bases in over 80 countries and colonies - which is at least three times as many overseas bases as all other countries combined.

As Aspen Coriz-Romero writes, 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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