Dear John,

The U.S. military doesn’t belong in the streets of Los Angeles or Washington DC.

But this weekend, President Trump is sending the U.S. military to the streets of Washington DC for a dictator-style parade. And he’s sending U.S. Marines and the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles for a dictator-style crackdown on protest.

It’s an understatement to say that this is dangerous for our democracy.

And of course, we took a look at what all of this costs.

The president’s military parade will cost $45 million for just a few hours of pomp. As Lindsay Koshgarian writes in Newsweek, we found ten things this administration has cut or threatened to cut - from HIV prevention programs to grants to help end child labor - that could be saved for about $45 million or less.

Then there’s the crackdown in LA. That’s estimated to cost $134 million. That’s enough to keep 716,578 people on food stamps, which the administration is also threatening to cut.

This is a microcosm of the administration’s priorities overall. They want a $1 trillion Pentagon budget at the same time that they want to cut lifesaving programs in the U.S. and around the world. It all amounts to a blatant power grab and a major challenge to both democracy and the sanctity of human life.

In solidarity,

Lindsay, Hanna, and Alliyah

TRADEOFF: MILITARY PARADE VS. TEN THINGS WE NEED

President Trump’s military parade in Washington, DC on June 14 is a flagrant celebration of militarism, war, and brute power. It’s also expensive at an estimated cost of $45 million. Here are ten programs Trump has cut (or threatened to cut) that we could keep for that amount or less.

Remember: The administration is busy dismantling more than just the pavement in our nation’s capital. The destruction is happening on multiple fronts at once. There’s Elon Musk’s DOGE, the president’s budget bill that would gut Medicaid and food stamps to pay for war and deportations, and the president’s budget bill that would enact the nation’s first trillion-dollar war budget.

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Photo courtesy of TheeErin

TRADING LIFE FOR DEATH

Congress is considering a budget bill with historic increases for MAGA’s militarized foreign and domestic policy agenda. This not only makes us all less safe, it will be paid for with cuts to programs that help families and communities meet their basic needs - including Medicaid and SNAP.

For the first year alone, proposed militarized spending increases in the reconciliation proposal totals $163 billion. That’s more than enough to fund a year of Medicaid for the 13.7 million people at risk of losing health care, and the 11 million people at risk of losing food stamps. Our recent report, Trading Life for Death: What the Reconciliation Bill Puts at Stake in Your State, provides the number of people who could receive Medicaid, SNAP, and the Child Tax Credit instead of investing more in militarization, by state and congressional district.

Militarized spending hikes must be prevented. Basic needs must be protected.

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PROTESTING THE LOS ANGELES ICE RAIDS

Since last week, we’ve witnessed the power of showing up for our migrant neighbors and loved ones. Dozens of people turned into hundreds protesting ICE worksite raids across Los Angeles.

President Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to squash the protests. Angelenos were quick to unite in resistance, thanks to months of organizing by the Community Self Defense Coalition LA.

A recent poll shows that Americans disapprove of Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles and that a majority disapprove of his “handling of deportations.” This sentiment grows as protests continue across the country from Seattle all the way to Atlanta.

$134 million is the estimated cost of the military deployments to Los Angeles. That’s enough to fund 716,578 people receiving SNAP benefits to combat hunger.

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“I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?”

– Doechii, American rapper and singer, BET Awards 2025 acceptance speech