Speier serves on the Committee on Homeland Security, where she is a ranking member on the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. She was an active WiLL member while she served in the California State Assembly and California State Senate.

Speier has shown a great deal of bravery and strength throughout her career. In 1978, when she was a staffer for Congressman Leo Ryan, she traveled to Jonestown as part of his fact-finding mission on the Peoples Temple cult. While they were there, Ryan and four other people were killed, and Speier was shot 5 times and had to wait nearly 24 hours for assistance to arrive. In 1988, Speier became the first woman to give birth while serving on the California State Assembly. Her husband died in a car accident while she was pregnant with their second child, and she continued to serve in the Assembly and raise their children as a single mother.

Speier has advocated for the end of the wars in both Iraq in Afghanistan. In the Huffington Post, she wrote about the importance of using the money spent in Afghanistan for domestic programs, creating American jobs, and reducing the deficit.

Speier is an outspoken proponent of women’s rights. In 2011, Speier reacted to attacks on Planned Parenthood by bravely speaking on the floor of the House about her own abortion. As the honorary chair of Protect Our Defenders, she has fought for justice for women who are sexually assaulted while serving in the military.

In addition to peace and women’s rights, Speier has worked to protect the environment. She encourages the creation of an energy plan that improves the environment but also creates new jobs and helps the middle class. She has pursued these goals by working on the Clean Air Rebate Act of 2009, the Home Star Act, and the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

WAND is proud to acknowledge Congresswoman Speier’s accomplishments and her work advocating for women’s rights, peace, and the environment.

-Hayley Anderson, WAND DC intern

On January 30, both the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal devoted their lead editorials to the impending cuts. Their approach gives an interesting picture of what WAND faces in demanding the cuts we believe to be absolutely necessary for a healthy economy.

“New Strategy, Old Pentagon Budget” is how the Times framed its message. The Times credited Obama for “putting on the brakes,” but said more cuts must be found. They listed specific additional savings: shrinking the number of F-35 fighters ($150 billion), cutting nuclear weapons funding ($79 billion), eliminating one of the 11 aircraft carriers ($4-8 billion). WAND supports all of these measures, and would go much further. These savings are spread over ten years—surely we must do more, and sooner, if the military cuts are to balance the painful ones projected for social programs. The National Priorities Project points out that military spending rose 48% from 2001 to 2011, while discretionary spending rose much less. This imbalance will continue to grow if we don’t fight it.

The Journal provocatively titles its editorial “Admiral Obama,” with a subtitle of “A diminished Navy can’t meet its multiple missions.” They warn against the “steep” cuts Obama will be making and use the Navy to help “reveal the damage.” The navy is much smaller than it was during the Cold War, “but the planet isn’t smaller.” So the editorial asks - how are we to keep patrolling it? “The. U.S. needs 11 aircraft carriers, even when no other country has more than one, because no other country does what it does, American military power has ensured global peace and prosperity since World War II.”

Defending the 11 aircraft carriers is already absurd, but going on to warn against ending what the Journal refers to as this “Pax American” compounds the absurdity. Even if we believed in the reality of such a peace, continuing to patrol the world is surely impossible. We must exercise other ways of keeping the peace. Diplomatic, cooperative, and economic measures must begin to supplant military actions that have proved to be mostly unworkable and disastrously expensive in our recent wars.

Two of the most influential papers in the country tackle this topic. One doesn’t go far enough, while the other resists any cuts at all. There is only one way to get the changes WAND believes are necessary: an informed citizenry. U.S. citizens are deeply disturbed about our economic problems, rising inequalities, and the perception that our country is falling behind, yet haven’t made the link between that and the devastating costs of our military. So it’s up to groups like ours to make that connection and understand what we are up against.

When a military leader says almost the same thing, it gives us some encouragement. In a recent speech, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey said, “it makes no sense for us as a nation to have an extraordinarily capable military instrument of power if we are economically disadvantaged in the world.”  He could have easily added, “and at home.”

-Sayre Sheldon, WAND Education Treasurer

Our Defense Department is much like those beginning weight loss contestants.  After years of indulgence, its budget has doubled in the past decade. It is apparent that Pentagon spending is not sustainable.

On The Biggest Loser, contestants meet with a doctor early on and realize where their path is leading – diabetes, heart disease and shortened life expectancies. Likewise, our nation’s economic health is burdened with uncontrollable deficit spending.  Without changes, this won’t end well: our economic security is the foundation of our national security and our bloated defense budget is on track to threaten both. As Admiral Mike Mullen, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has pointed out, “The single greatest threat to national security is from the national debt.”  Current chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, put it this way: “It makes no sense at all for us as a nation to have an extraordinarily capable military instrument of power if we are economically disadvantaged around the world.” 

The Defense Department has made some initial attempts at change. Along with the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request, the Pentagon released projected reductions to its current rate of exponential spending increases. While there are cuts to anticipated increases, the Pentagon budget still plans modest growth. These are not the alleged draconian cuts of some alarmist claims.  However, the Defense Department should be commended for this first step. The first step, no matter how small, is the hardest. There are signs though, of emerging resistance and obstacles to be overcome. Here are some tips to help the Pentagon move towards fitness.

1)     Avoid Enablers

Congress has been only too eager to fund weapons systems that the Pentagon no longer needs or wants. Now, some in Congress are striving to get the Pentagon out of threatened automatic cuts even if it means decimating other programs. But be forewarned –Congress might provide pork roast with all the trimmings this year, but the days of bread and water are coming. Even in the unlikely event that the Pentagon is exempted from cuts now, economic pressure shows no signs of abating soon.  Everyone will face the music eventually. Which bring us to…

2)     Don’t Procrastinate

In its recent budget preview, the Pentagon announced delays rather than cuts for the F-35, a poster child  for a program nobody can figure out how to kill. The stated commitments to the F-35 are designed to assure contractors and Congressional supporters that dessert is coming even if we have no idea how we’ll manage to swallow it.

Senator Carl Levin, the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called the U.S. nuclear arsenal “a Cold War remnant”. Nonetheless, the Pentagon projects no cuts to nuclear weapons programs over the next five years, just a two-year delay in a new nuclear submarine. It is high time to make 21^st century security decisions and purge the clutter of Cold War weapons – like getting rid of a deep fat fryer that doesn’t align with weight loss goals.

3)    Lose the Secret Stash

The end of the Iraq war and planned accelerated end to Afghanistan’s combat mission are welcome.  And so is the President’s State of the Union claim that it’s time to turn toward “nation-building here at home” - a fantastic peace dividend plan. However, war spending is not diminishing enough – in fact, the war funds request for this year is $88.5 billion. The Pentagon likes having this chunk of change to retain “flexibility,”  including shifting to different accounts – thus keeping cookies in the back of cupboard for “emergency” snacks.

4)    Be Accountable

Among the Pentagon’s trimming-down plans, $60 billion in savings over the next five years is to come from “cost efficiencies”: a lofty goal, especially because the Pentagon has been unable to successfully conduct an audit.   The Biggest Loser contestants carefully record intake, activities and calories burned and then submit to weekly televised weigh-ins. Transparency and sound accounting would boost confidence that this $60 billion is real and might also lead to finding other savings.

Overcoming these obstacles will help the Pentagon on its way to “fitness” - economically sustainable national security for the 21^st century.

-Kathy Robinson, Public Policy Director

Edwards serves on the Committee on Ethics, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. She is a ranking member on the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

Edwards has a long history of involvement with activism. Earlier in her career, Edwards co-founded and led the National Network to End Domestic Violence. She also served as executive director for both the Center for a New Democracy, an organization that works for campaign finance reform, and the Arca Foundation, a social justice organization. After taking office, Edwards has continued to participate in activism. In 2009, she was arrested at a protest against the blockage of aid to victims of genocide in Darfur.

Edwards has been a powerful advocate for peace and women’s rights in Afghanistan. She helped found the Afghan Women’s Task Force, and she continues to be active in her role as co-chair. She noted, “After multiple visits to Afghanistan, I am convinced that the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program must include women and take their interests into account… I look forward to continuing to work with Members of Congress, the State Department, and Afghan women leaders to make sure the Peace and Reintegration Program meets the needs of all Afghans.”

Edwards has also worked for important causes outside Afghanistan. She has defended reproductive rights in the face of strong opposition, and she always condemned the war in Iraq. She has participated in events to help fight climate change and has followed up her activism with support for bills protecting the environment.

WAND is proud to acknowledge Congresswoman Edwards’s accomplishments and her work advocating for peace, women’s rights, and environmentalism.

- Hayley Anderson, WAND DC intern

We applaud the Secretary of Defense’s February 1 announcement that the United States will end combat operations in Afghanistan in 2013. Given that U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan was supposed to end in 2014, this announcement speeds up withdrawal, and as reported by the New York Times, it is “a major milestone toward ending a decade of war in Afghanistan.”

In support of the Administration’s decision, a bipartisan group of six House members - Jim McGovern (MA), Walter Jones (NC), Barbara Lee (CA), Jimmy Duncan, Jr. (TN), John Garamendi (CA), and Justin Amash (MI) - drafted a letter to be sent to President Obama. The letter states, "We write to express our support for the Administration’s announcement on February 1 that the United States will complete combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of next year." Read the full text of the letter with a list of current signers.

Make sure that your Representative has signed the letter indicating support of the President’s decision to end the war in Afghanistan in 2013. If not, click here TODAY to encourage your member of Congress to sign the letter to the President.

See WAND’s new policy paper developed with the Kroc Institute for Peace, “A Peace Building Transition Strategy for Afghanistan.”

Watch these inspiring videos from  Members of Congress as they each give floor speeches against continued U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Rep. John Garamendi (D-MA). And then be sure to contact your Representative!

"I do want to make clear, as we said the other day, that with regard to U.S. sanctions, we do have carve-outs for the provision of food, medical equipment, medicines to the Iranian people because we don’t want to hurt them any more than we need to. But they are living in a state with a government that would rather spend money on a nuclear weapons program than on the welfare of its people, and that’s why we are compelled to increase the pressure and increase the isolation until they see the light." - State Department spokesperson Victoria  Nuland, Feb. 9, 2012

Anyone see a touch of irony here?

Well over 50% of the U.S. discretionary budget that Congress debates and approves each year goes to Pentagon spending – including spending on nuclear weapons.  In the coming decade, we’re slated to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on an arsenal of some 5,000 nuclear weapons. This seems deliberately ignorant of basic reality: the Cold War is over and we need to address to 21^st Century threats. Meanwhile, programs that support the welfare of the American people, and fall into the remainder of discretionary spending, are facing drastic budget cuts. We’ve cut programs that provide heating assistance, domestic violence shelters, police, teachers and more, and have yet to cut back on nuclear weapons.  We still have the capability to blow up the world a few times over.

When it comes to the U.S. government, I guess it’s up to us “to increase the pressure… until they see the light.” You can start by urging your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor the SANE Act – the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures Act, H.R. 3974. Then, stay tuned next week. The Federal Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2013 will be released and we’ll see just what the U.S. government would rather spend money on!

-Kathy Robinson, Public Policy Director

Check out some highlights from our 2012 Membership Month drive:

• Arkansas WAND hosted a high energy event to welcome new members and reengage current ones. Over 80 people gathered for supper, music, and the fashion event of the season! Members modeled costumes from the Fashion Resistance to Militarism fashion show and listened to a stirring speech from State Representative Kathy Webb. View event pictures here.
• WAND launched a petition to encourage President Obama to move us closer to a nuclear weapons free world. Within hours, hundreds of our members and activists signed the petition! For more information and to add your signature, click here.
• To recruit and reenergize members, Northern Indiana WAND organized a State of the Union Watch Party. After David Cortright of the Kroc Institute for Peace gave an excellent presentation, participants followed along to the President’s speech with WAND’s very own listening guide. Read more about this great event here.

Thank you for helping us start the year off on the right foot! Remember that you can become a WAND member at any time. Click here to learn about all the great benefits of WAND membership. We look forward to working with you throughout 2012!

P.S. – Your support allows us to provide our members and activists with valuable resources and trainings like our upcoming free webinar with the National Priorities Project on February 28 at 3pm ET. Help us continue to offer these services by joining WAND today!

Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) has introduced the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act, H.R. 3974, to reduce nuclear weapons spending.

It’s time for us to cut excessive, out of control and frankly insane spending on nuclear weapons.  As Congressman Markey says, “America’s nuclear weapons budget is locked in a Cold War time machine.”

Our country now has pressing economic concerns and 21^st century security needs that won’t be met with Cold War spending and strategy.  It’s time for a smarter strategic approach to the nuclear weapons budget. The SANE Act offers concrete areas where we can stop spending on nuclear weapons.  A copy of the bill is available here for your review.

Please urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 3974, the SANE Act, to reduce nuclear weapons spending. Below are the 34 Members of Congress that have already co-sponsored the SANE Act.

Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1]                     Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10]
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3]                       Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9]
Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1]                        Rep Lewis, John [GA-5]
Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1]                          Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14]
Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI]                   Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7]
Rep Clarke, Hansen [MI-13]                         Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3]
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14]                     Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8]
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4]                      Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC]
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5]                            Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1]
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14]                       Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10]
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17]                                Rep Polis, Jared [CO-2]
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51]                               Rep Richardson, Laura [CA-37]
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4]                           Rep Slaughter, Louise [NY-28]
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7]                         Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13]
Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12]                           Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6]
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15]                   Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6]
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2]
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9]

If your Representative is not listed above, please click here and urge them to co-sponsor today!

If your Representative is listed above, be sure to thank him/her for cosponsoring H.R. 3974, the SANE Act to reduce nuclear weapons spending.

Under last year’s deficit deal, military and domestic programs are supposed to be cut equally over the next ten years. So far, the Pentagon has barely been nicked. The Defense Department put out its budget plans for the next five years showing the Pentagon budget shrinking modestly for one year and then growing again. Meanwhile domestic programs needed to strengthen our struggling economy have suffered massive cuts.

Now some in Congress want to stop the clock, suspend next year’s cuts, and establish the principle that military spending cannot be touched. It’s up to us to say “NO!”

Congressional supporters of the military industrial complex are rejecting limits on military spending. They’ve churned out a distortion-packed video, Congressman Buck McKeon has filed “stop the cuts” legislation in the House, and now Senator McCain is promoting similar Senate legislation. They’ve even released an “Economic Impact Report” on Pentagon cuts that is at odds with the very sound University of Massachusetts analysis showing that far more jobs are created when we invest federal dollars in other sectors like education and clean energy.

It’s the Pentagon or us. Let’s help Congress make the right choice. Tell them to speak out for real Pentagon cuts and real domestic spending increases.

• Write your Senators. Click here to send an automatic email to your Senators.
• Write your Representative. Click here to send an automatic email to your Representative.

We need to cut Pentagon spending and prevent it from eating up more of the federal budget. There is no way we can recover from the recession if we don’t cut military spending and shift hundreds of billions of dollars to the jobs and services we need in our communities.

Please forward this to everyone you can. Together we can win this!

On Wednesday, February 1 Georgia WAND announced that the Department of Energy does not intend to fund essential environmental monitoring for these communities, whose residents  have long been concerned about the health effects of the radioactive materials released from the facility. Georgia WAND has worked with these communities for many years.

One affected community member is Annie Laura Stephens, who received an award for her work with Georgia WAND at the September 2011 WAND/WiLL “Women at the Table of Power” National Women's Leadership Conference.

In spite of this setback, the Georgia WAND community, including the courageous Annie Laura Stephens, will undoubtedly continue to work to protect the people of Georgia from the harmful effects of radiation. Read more about this development here.