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Jeffrey Buchanan, Gulf Coast Civic Works Campaign 202-463-7575 ext 241
buchanan@rfkmemorial.org
Charles Jackson, ACORN 504-943-0044
communications@acorn.org
Today, 107 leading religious
officials - including, Rev. Richard Cizik, National Association of
Evangelicals; Richard Stearns, President, World Vision; Rabbi Steve Gutow, Jewish
Council for Public Affairs; Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, National Council of
Churches; Dr. Ingrid Matterson, Islamic Society of North America; Fr. Larry
Snyder, Catholic Charities USA; Rev. David Beckmann, Bread for the World; and
Rev. Jim Wallis, Sojourners - are calling for not just a charitable
response but for a just moral response to driving for resident-led human rights
based federal solutions helping families.
Three years after the current administration first promised
to rebuild the region devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the slow pace
of recovery and recent devastation of hurricanes Gustav and Ike have created a
moral crisis in the Gulf
Coast. The collapse
of local institutions, homelessness, internal displacement, poverty, abusive
labor practices and environmental degradation in the Gulf Coast
demands a powerful response from people of faith. Diverse faith leaders
have partnered with the Gulf Coast Civic Works Campaign to call for bi-partisan
resident-led federal solutions helping families return and participate in
rebuilding their communities, creating living wage jobs, restoring the coastal
wetland and ensuring human rights in the Gulf Coast
region a national priority.
The Gulf Coast Civic Works Campaign is a
nonpartisan partnership of community, faith, environmental, student, and human
rights organizations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi and their national
allies advocating for federal legislation based on HR 4048, the Gulf Coast
Civic Works Act and urging national leaders to make creating jobs, rebuilding
infrastructure and affordable housing, and restoring natural flood protection
along the Gulf Coast a national priority.
Support this effort by contacting your member of Congress
at: https://www.colorofchange.org/gulfcoast/message.html.
[Copy of Statement]
Gulf
Coast Civic Works
Campaign Interfaith Statement
Supporting Human Rights in Gulf Coast
Recovery Is a Moral Priority
As Hurricanes Ike and Gustav
hit the Gulf Coast,
internally displacing over one million people, we as a nation were reawakened
to the needs of the Gulf
Coast. Three years after
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck and the levees breached, the slow pace of
recovery and the new needs caused by Ike and Gustav's destruction have
created a moral crisis along the Gulf
Coast that demands a
powerful response from people of faith.
While the nation has
learned to better prepare for this latest hurricane, whether by inaction or
injustice, we have still failed to protect the wellbeing of Gulf Coast
survivors, new residents and their families, especially the children, the poor,
the sick, and the vulnerable through just long term rebuilding policies which
fully support human rights. The collapse of local institutions, homelessness,
internal displacement, poverty, abusive labor practices and environmental
degradation mean they continue to suffer and struggle unduly. A spiritual wound
remains open across the region, one felt in God's creation and every community
across this country.
Our God is a God of
justice, of humanity and of healing, and this moral injustice calls each of us
to bold action in support of the common good. We must act to justly
rebuild communities, restore the Gulf
Coast, and empower
families to overcome the devastation they suffered in our nation's worst
natural disasters.
As people of faith and
as Americans we believe in transcendent human dignity and place our trust in
basic human rights. Many of the survivors of these disasters lack the resources
to return to their communities to reunite with their families. Many families
still have not recovered and have not been able to resume their lives with the
dignity and safety that are their right. New residents who came to work
in the recovery face hardships and abuses.
Gulf
Coast
communities continue to suffer from toxic trailers; closed schools, police
stations, and hospitals; a shortage of affordable housing; crumbling roads and
water systems; and workplace abuse.
As we have seen during
Hurricane Gustav, an inadequate flood protection system and accelerating
erosion of the wetlands left residents vulnerable to this and future disasters.
Through years of improper stewardship, preventable coastal erosion has
destroyed billions of dollars worth of natural flood protection and threatens
the homes, places of worship, schools, and businesses of those who live along
the Gulf Coast. This also threatens the security
of the majority of our nation's energy infrastructure, parts of which were
once built above land and now reside below salt water. The result is an
American human rights and national security crisis that requires the attention
all Americans, regardless of where they live, their faith, or their political
party.
Together Hurricanes
Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav killed more than 2,000 people. They destroyed
thousands of homes, businesses, and places of worship, causing over $150
billion in damages and displacing hundreds of thousands of families. Members of
diverse faith communions have responded generously, volunteering thousands of
hours to rebuild lives across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi
and Texas and
giving millions in charitable donations. Faith groups have formed powerful new
partnerships with local community leaders, non-profits, and other
denominations, to lead some of the most successful efforts in the recovery.
We have learned that
acts of faith and mercy alone, no matter how profound, cannot provide
everything needed for a sustainable recovery. Gulf Coast
families deserve a federal government that recognizes their needs by rebuilding
their communities, supporting basic human rights of all communities, addressing
poverty and displacement, and confronting coastal erosion. The government must
empower local communities to take the lead in rebuilding their neighborhoods,
renewing their lives, and restoring God's creation. We believe it is a
moral obligation for the federal government to fulfill its promises for Gulf Coast
recovery: empowering residents to return and participate in equitably
rebuilding their communities.
Now we are joining
community and faith leaders across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi
and Texas and calling on people of faith to
form a new partnership for a renewed and just federal Gulf
Coast recovery policy to put all Gulf Coast
communities, regardless of race, ethnicity or income, on the path to an
economically, socially and environmentally sustainable recovery.
We ask national leaders
of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, as they discuss the future of our
nation, to honor the third anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the
survivors of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav by pledging to fulfill these obligations
in the next Administration and Congress, including:
Signed,
Rev. Richard Cizik, Vice President, National Association of Evangelicals*
Rabbi Steve Gutow, Executive Director, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary, National Council of Churches
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President, The Islamic Society of North America
Fr. Larry Snyder, President, Catholic Charities, USA
Rev. David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World
Richard Stearns, President, World Vision
Rev. Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners
The Rt. Rev. Wayne Burkette, President, The Moravian Church, Southern Province
The Rt. Rev. David L. Wickmann, President, The Moravian Church, Northern Province
Rev. Jacob Jang, General Secretary, Korean Presbyterian Church in America
The Most Reverend Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church
Stanley Noffsinger, General Secretary, Church of the Brethren
Rev. Dr. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Jim Winkler, General Secretary, The United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society
Dr. Robert C. Andringa, President Emeritus, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Roberta Avila, Executive Director, Mississippi Coast Interfaith Disaster Task Force
His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, President, National Council of Churches
Dr. David R. Black, President, Eastern University*
Rev. Dr. Ken Brooker Langston, Coordinator, Disciples Center for Public Wellness, Church of Christ
Sr. Simone Campbell, Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Dr. Tony Campolo, , Eastern University, St. David's, PA*
Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel Dewitt Proctor Convention
Rev. Alfred Carter, President, Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing
Rev. Noel Castellanos, CEO, Christian Community Development Association
Charles Clements, President and CEO, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Dr. Luis Cortes, Executive Director, Nueva Esperanza
Dr. Paul Corts, President, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities*
Sr. Anne Curtis, RSM, Leadership Team, Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Marie Dennis, Co-President, Pax Christi International and Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, President, Common Cause, Former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches
Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, Executive Vice-President, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, Director, Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism
Mary Fontenot, Executive Director, All Congregations Together
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President, Interfaith Alliance
Sharon Gauthe, Executive Director, Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing
Sr. Donna Graham, OSF, Franciscan Justice and Peace Office and OFM for Province of St. John the Baptist
Dr. David Gushee, Presidents, Evangelicals for Human Rights*
Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Treasurer, Senior Pastor, World Relief, Nineteen Street Baptist Church*
Rev. Dr. Leo Hartshorn, Minister of Peace and Justice, Mennonite Mission Network, U.S. Ministries
Dr. Frederick Haynes, III, Senior Pastor, Friendship West Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas
Dr. Obery Hendricks, Professor of Biblical Interpretation, New York Theological Seminary, Author of "The Politics of Jesus"*
Bishop Thomas J. Hoyt, Co-Chair, National Council of Churches Special Commission on the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast
Dr. John Huffman, Senior Pastor, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church*
Dr. George Hunsinger, Professor, Princeton Theological Seminary, Founder, National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland, A Distributed Church*
Dr. Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Professor of Christian Ethics and Theology, Drew University, Madison, NJ*
Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo, Justice and Witness Ministry, United Church of Christ
David E. Jehnsen, Chair of the Board, Every Church a Peace Church
Ven. Michael S. Kendall, President, Episcopal Network for Economic Justice
Hon. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Author of "Failing America's Faithful", former Lt. Gov. of Maryland and Board Member, RFK Memorial
Rabbi Asher Knight, , Temple Emanu-El, Dallas Texas
Chris Kromm, Executive Director, Institute for Southern Studies, Author of "Faith in the Gulf"
Rabbi Irwin Kula, President, The Center for Leadership and Learning
Dr. Peter Kuzmic, Distinguished Professor, Gordon Cornwell Theological Seminary
Rabbi Michael Lerner, Founder, TIKKUN and Network of Spiritual Progressives
Rev. Michael E. Livingston, Co-Chair, National Council of Churches Special Commission on the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast
Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, Founder and CEO, World Hope International
Renaye Manley, Organizaing Director, Interfaith Worker Justice
Bishop A.C. "Chip" Marble Jr., Assisting Bishop, Diocese of North Carolina, Greensboro Office*
Dr. Molly T. Marshall, President and Professor of Theology and Spiritual Formation, Central Baptist Theological Seminary
Rev. Timothy McDonald III, President, African American Ministers in Action
Dr. Brian D. McLaren, best-selling Author, Pastor and intellectual leader of "emerging church,"*
Rev. LeDayne McLeese Polaski, Program Coordinator, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
Fr. T. Michael McNulty, SJ, Justice and Peace Director, Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Rev. Gail E. Mengel, Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer, Community of Christ
Rabbi Jack Moline, Chair of the Board, Interfaith Alliance and Senior Rabbi, Agudas Achim Congregation
Rev. Jethroe Moore, II, President, San Jose NAACP
Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair, Council of the Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
Dr. Pamela Nath, , Listening & Discernment, Mennonite Central Committee
Sr. Ann Oestreich, IHM, Congressional Coordinator, Congregation Justice Committee, Sisters of the Holy Cross
Vicky Partin, Lay Missioner, Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry
Dr. Ron Patterson, Executive Director, Christian Disaster Response
Sara Pottschmidt Lisherness, Director, Compassion, Peace, and Justice Ministries, Presbyterian Church USA
Sr. Claire Regan, Office of Justice and Peace, Sisters of Charity of New York
Rev. Carl W. Rehling, Director, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, Diocesan Liaison for Justice and Peace
Sr. Jane Remson, O.Carm. Main Representative to UN, Carmelite NGO Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Dr. Meg Riley, Director of Advocacy and Witness, Unitarian Universalist Association Congregation
Bill Robinson, President, Whitworth University*
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Robert S. Runkle, Chair, Social Justice and Outreach Ministries Commission, Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
Dr. Andrew Ryskamp, Director, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
Rev. Gabriel Salguero, Director, Hispanic/Latino Leadership Program, Princeton Theological Seminary*
Rev. Dr. Virginia Samuel, Interim Dean of Campus Life and Student Affairs, Drew University, Madison, NJ*
Sr. Marylin K. Scheib, Regional Administrative Office, Sisters of Mercy of the Regional Community of St. Louis
Rev. Bill Schulz, Chairman, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Board of Directors
Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action
Dr. Ann E. Smith, President, Gamaliel Foundation
Rev.Dr. Cory Sparks, Chair, Commission on Stewardship of the Environment, Louisiana Interchurch Conference
Dr. Glen Harold Stassen, Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics, Fuller Seminary*
Rev. Ron Stief, Organizing Director, Faith in Public Life
Russ Testa, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network
Rabbi Uri Topolosky, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel, A Community Synagogue in New Orleans
Rev. Romal Tune, President, Clergy Strategic Alliances
Sr. Mari Turgi, CSC, Director, Holy Cross International Office
Rabbi Stewart Vogel, President, Southern California Board of Rabbis
Rabbi Brian Walt, Executive Director, Rabbis for Human Rights
Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Executive Director, Shalom Center
Alix Webb, Program Manager, The Poverty Initiative, Union Theological Seminary
Rev.Dr. C. David Williams, President, Union of Black Episcopalians
Dr. Lauren Winner, Assistant Professor of Christian Spirituality, Duke Divinity School, Duke University*
Rabbi David Wolpe, Senior Rabbi, Sinai Temple*
Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins III, Executive Director, National Ministries, American Baptist Church, USA
Dr. Amos Yong, Professor of Theology, Regent University School of Divinity*
Susan Youmans, Executive Director, Environmental Partnership
* Organization is listed for identification purposes only
The progressive senator underscored that the Israeli leader has been indicted by the International Criminal Court "for overseeing the systematic killing and starvation of civilians in Gaza."
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday as the fugitive from the International Criminal Court met with lawmakers ahead of a second White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to advance plans for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the embattled Gaza Strip.
"As President Trump and members of Congress roll out the red carpet for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, let's remember that Netanyahu has been indicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court for overseeing the systematic killing and starvation of civilians in Gaza," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement.
"This is the man Trump and Congress are welcoming this week: a war criminal who will be remembered as one of modern history's monsters," the senator continued. "His extremist government has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians and wounded almost 135,000, 60% of whom are women, children, or elderly people. The United Nations reports that at least 17,000 children have been killed and more than 25,000 wounded. More than 3,000 children in Gaza have had one or more limbs amputated."
"At this moment, hundreds of thousands of people are starving after Israel prevented any aid from entering Gaza for nearly three months," Sanders noted. "In the last six weeks, Israel has allowed a trickle of aid to get in, but has tried to replace the established United Nations distribution system with a private foundation backed by security contractors. This has been a catastrophe, with near-daily massacres at the new aid distribution sites. In its first five weeks in operation, 640 people have been killed and at least 4,488 injured while trying to access food through this mechanism."
Trump and Netanyahu—who said Monday that he nominated the U.S. president for the Nobel Peace Prize—are expected to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a new deal to secure the release of the 22 remaining Israeli and other hostages held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, as well as plans for giving Gazans what the prime minister described as a "better future" by finding third countries willing to accept forcibly displaced Palestinians.
Critics said such euphemistic language is an attempt to give cover to Israel's plan to ethnically cleanse and indefinitely occupy Gaza. Observers expressed alarm over Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz' Tuesday affirmation of a plan to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp at the southern tip of the strip.
"There is no such thing as voluntary displacement amongst a population that has been under constant bombardment for nearly two years and has been cut off from essential aid," Jeremy Konyndyk, president of the advocacy group Refugees International and a former senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development, told Reuters.
Most Palestinians are vehemently opposed to what they say would amount to a second Nakba, the forced displacement of more than 750,000 people from Palestine during and after the 1948 establishment of the modern state of Israel.
"This is our land," one Palestinian man, Mansour Abu Al-Khaier, told The Times of Israel on Tuesday. "Who would we leave it to, where would we go?"
Another Gazan, Abu Samir el-Fakaawi, told the newspaper: "I will not leave Gaza. This is my country. Our children who were martyred in the war are buried here. Our families. Our friends. Our cousins. We are all buried here. Whether Trump or Netanyahu or anyone else likes it or not, we are staying on this land."
Officials at the United Nations—whose judicial body, the International Court of Justice, is weighing a genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa and supported by around two dozen countries—condemned any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
"This raises concerns with regards to forcible transfer—the concept of voluntary transfers in the context that we are seeing in Gaza right now [is] very questionable," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Tuesday.
The high court's decision to "release the president's wrecking ball at the outset of this litigation," said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, "is not only truly unfortunate but also hubristic and senseless."
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a block on U.S. President Donald Trump's February executive order directing federal agency leaders to "promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force" and a related memorandum.
In response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits, Judge Susan Illston—appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by former President Bill Clinton—had issued a temporary restraining order and then a preliminary injunction, which was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in May.
That legal battle led to the Supreme Court's shadow docket, where emergency decisions don't have to be signed. The Tuesday opinion from the high court's unidentified majority states that Illston's injunction was based on a view that Trump's order implementing his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) "Workforce Optimization Initiative" and a joint memo from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management "are unlawful."
"Because the government is likely to succeed on its argument that the executive order and memorandum are lawful—and because the other factors bearing on whether to grant a stay are satisfied—we grant the application," the Supreme Court continued, emphasizing that the justices did not weigh in on the legality of any related agency reduction in force (RIF) and reorganization plans.
BREAKING: The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to resume agency mass-firing plans over the dissent of Justice Jackson, who criticized "this Court’s demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President’s legally dubious actions in an emergency posture." More to come at Law Dork:
[image or embed]
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) July 8, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson publicly dissented on Tuesday. Another liberal, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, wrote in a short concurrence that "the plans themselves are not before this court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law. I join the court's stay because it leaves the district court free to consider those questions in the first instance."
Meanwhile, Jackson argued that "given the fact-based nature of the issue in this case and the many serious harms that result from allowing the president to dramatically reconfigure the federal government, it was eminently reasonable for the district court to maintain the status quo while the courts evaluate the lawfulness of the president's executive action."
She continued:
At bottom, this case is about whether that action amounts to a structural overhaul that usurps Congress' policymaking prerogatives—and it is hard to imagine deciding that question in any meaningful way after those changes have happened. Yet, for some reason, this court sees fit to step in now and release the president's wrecking ball at the outset of this litigation.
In my view, this decision is not only truly unfortunate but also hubristic and senseless. Lower court judges have their fingers on the pulse of what is happening on the ground and are indisputably best positioned to determine the relevant facts—including those that underlie fair assessments of the merits, harms, and equities. I see no basis to conclude that the district court erred—let alone clearly so—in finding that the president is attempting to fundamentally restructure the federal government.
Mark Joseph Stern, who covers the courts for Slate, said on social media that "Justice Jackson's criticism is spot-on, of course. But as Justice Sotomayor's concurrence suggests, SCOTUS' order looks like a negotiated compromise that leaves the district court room to block future RIFs and agency 'restructuring.' So the damage is limited."
"The real test will be what happens once agencies start to develop and implement plans for mass firings—which will, by and large, be illegal," he warned. "District courts still have discretion, for now, to stop them. Will SCOTUS freeze their orders and let unlawful RIFs and restructurings proceed? I fear it will."
Trump’s firings at federal agencies have upended the lives of thousands of workers.These are the people who oversee air safety, food and drug safety, disaster response, public health, and much more.Replacing civil servants with Trump loyalists is right out of Project 2025.
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— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) July 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The coalition that challenged the order and memo includes the American Federation of Government Employees and four AFGE locals; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); Service Employees International Union and three SEIU Locals; Alliance for Retired Americans; American Geophysical Union; American Public Health Association; Center for Taxpayer Rights; Coalition to Protect America's National Parks; Common Defense; Main Street Alliance; Natural Resources Defense Council; Northeast Organic Farming Association Inc.; VoteVets; and Western Watersheds Project.
It also includes the governments of Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Harris County, Texas; King County, Washington; and both San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California.
"Today's decision has dealt a serious blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in grave jeopardy," the coalition said Tuesday. "This decision does not change the simple and clear fact that reorganizing government functions and laying off federal workers en masse haphazardly without any congressional approval is not allowed by our Constitution."
"While we are disappointed in this decision," the coalition added, "we will continue to fight on behalf of the communities we represent and argue this case to protect critical public services that we rely on to stay safe and healthy."
Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, was similarly critical but determined on Tuesday.
"The Trump-appointed Supreme Court just surrendered to a dangerous vision for America, letting the administration gut federal agencies by firing expert civil servants," he said. " The damage from these mass firings will last for decades, and weaken the government’s ability to respond to disasters and provide essential benefits and services. Oversight Democrats will not sit back as Trump turns the court into a political weapon. We will keep fighting to protect the American people and prevent the destruction of our federal agencies."
"These figures represent a continuing and massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to fund war and weapons manufacturing," said the project's director.
Less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a budget package that pushes annual military spending past $1 trillion, researchers on Tuesday published a report detailing how much major Pentagon contractors have raked in since 2020.
Sharing The Guardian's exclusive coverage of the paper on social media, U.K.-based climate scientist Bill McGuire wrote: "Are you a U.S. taxpayer? I am sure you will be delighted to know where $2.4 TRILLION of your money has gone."
The report from the Costs of War Project at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft shows that from 2020-24 private firms received $2.4 trillion in Department of Defense contracts, or roughly 54% of DOD's $4.4 trillion in discretionary spending for that five-year period.
The publication highlights that "during those five years, $771 billion in Pentagon contracts went to just five firms: Lockheed Martin ($313 billion), RTX (formerly Raytheon, $145 billion), Boeing ($115 billion), General Dynamics ($116 billion), and Northrop Grumman ($81 billion)."
In a statement about the findings, Stephanie Savell, director of the Costs of War Project, said that "these figures represent a continuing and massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to fund war and weapons manufacturing."
"This is not an arsenal of democracy—it's an arsenal of profiteering," Savell added. "We should keep the enormous and growing power of the arms industry in mind as we assess the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S. and globally."
Between 2020 and 2024, $771 billion in Pentagon contracts went to just five firms: Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman. By comparison, the total diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid budget, excluding military aid, was $356 billion. [5/12]
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— The Costs of War Project (@costsofwar.bsky.social) July 8, 2025 at 2:43 PM
The paper points out that "by comparison, the total diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid budget, excluding military aid, was $356 billion. In other words, the U.S. government invested over twice as much money in five weapons companies as in diplomacy and international assistance."
"Record arms transfers have further boosted the bottom lines of weapons firms," the document details. "These companies have benefited from tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel and Ukraine, paid for by U.S. taxpayers. U.S. military aid to Israel was over $18 billion in just the first year following October 2023; military aid to Ukraine totals $65 billion since the Russian invasion in 2022 through 2025."
"Additionally, a surge in foreign-funded arms sales to European allies, paid for by the recipient nations—over $170 billion in 2023 and 2024 alone—have provided additional revenue to arms contractors over and above the funds they receive directly from the Pentagon," the paper adds.
The 23-page report stresses that "annual U.S. military spending has grown significantly this century," as presidents from both major parties have waged a so-called Global War on Terror and the DOD has continuously failed to pass an audit.
Specifically, according to the paper, "the Pentagon's discretionary budget—the annual funding approved by Congress and the large majority of its overall budget—rose from $507 billion in 2000 to $843 billion in 2025 (in constant 2025 dollars), a 66% increase. Including military spending outside the Pentagon—primarily nuclear weapons programs at the Department of Energy, counterterrorism operations at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other military activities officially classified under 'Budget Function 050'— total military spending grew from $531 billion in 2000 to $899 billion in 2025, a 69% increase."
Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this month "adds $156 billion to this year's total, pushing the 2025 military budget to $1.06 trillion," the document notes. "After taking into account this supplemental funding, the U.S. military budget has nearly doubled this century, increasing 99% since 2000."
Noting that "taxpayers are expected to fund a $1 trillion Pentagon budget," Security Policy Reform Institute co-founder Stephen Semler said the paper, which he co-authored, "illustrates what they'll be paying for: a historic redistribution of wealth from the public to private industry.”
Semler produced the report with William Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute. Hartung said that "high Pentagon budgets are often justified because the funds are 'for the troops.'"
"But as this paper shows, the majority of the department's budget goes to corporations, money that has as much to do with special interest lobbying as it does with any rational defense planning," he continued. "Much of this funding has been wasted on dysfunctional or overpriced weapons systems and extravagant compensation packages."
The arms industry has used an array of tools of influence to create an atmosphere where a Pentagon budget that is $1 trillion per year is deemed “not enough” by some members of Congress. [9/12]
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— The Costs of War Project (@costsofwar.bsky.social) July 8, 2025 at 2:43 PM
In addition to spotlighting how U.S. military budgets funnel billions of dollars to contractors each year, the report shines a light on the various ways the industry influences politics.
"The ongoing influence of the arms industry over Congress operates through tens of millions in campaign contributions and the employment of 950 lobbyists, as of 2024," the publication explains. "Military contractors also shape military policy and lobby to increase military spending by funding think tanks and serving on government commissions."
"Senior officials in government often go easy on major weapons companies so as not to ruin their chances of getting lucrative positions with them upon leaving government service," the report notes. "For its part, the emerging military tech sector has opened a new version of the revolving door—the movement of ex-military officers and senior Pentagon officials, not to arms companies per se, but to the venture capital firms that invest in Silicon Valley arms industry startups."
The paper concludes by arguing that "the U.S. needs stronger congressional and public scrutiny of both current and emerging weapons contractors to avoid wasteful spending and reckless decision-making on issues of war and peace. Profits should not drive policy."
"In particular," it adds, "the role of Silicon Valley startups and the venture capital firms that support them needs to be better understood and debated as the U.S. crafts a new foreign policy strategy that avoids unnecessary wars and prioritizes cooperation over confrontation."