In early July at the 2017 US Conference of Mayors meeting in Miami, 253 mayors
from big cities to rural towns unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the
Trump Administration’s immoral proposal to add $54 billion to the already grossly
inflated military budget of over $600 billion. Across the nation, peace, justice,
labor, environmental, and community organizations are uniting to say “NO! –
Move the Money back to spending on human needs.”
It is time to organize locally and get your city, town or community behind this
important effort. Charlottesville, VA; New Haven CT; Montgomery County
MD; Evanston IL; New London NH; Ithaca NY; and West Hollywood, CA, have
passed resolutions opposing the Trump budget. Read the US Conference of
Mayors’ resolution below and pressure your local government to pass a
resolution instructing federal legislators to fund human needs and healthy
communities.
US Conference of Mayors Calling for Hearings on Real City Budgets Needs
versus the Taxes Our Cities Send to the Federal Military Budget
Communities Across the U.S. Can Use This as a Template
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors has for numerous
years passed resolutions calling for cutting the military budget to spend the
savings on human needs; and
WHEREAS, the severity of the ongoing economic crisis has created budget
shortfalls at all levels of government and requires us to re-examine
our national spending priorities; and
WHEREAS, the military portion of our discretionary Federal budget has
been for many years and continues to be greater than fifty percent; and
WHEREAS, reductions in spending on the military budget should be done in
a measured way that does not destabilize our communities nor reduce
in any way funds for Veterans; and
WHEREAS, funds should be allocated to create a just transition to a civilian
economy; and
WHEREAS, city governments throughout the nation are hard pressed to
maintain city services and meet their responsibilities to their
constituents; and
WHEREAS, The US Conference of Mayors wishes to draw our residents into
the conversation so that they too can express their wishes,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of
Mayors calls on the Mayors of each of our cities to promptly hold public
hearings that examine what each city Departments needs to carry out the
goals of the Department and the work it is assigned and what they could
accomplish if funds were available that now go to the military; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each city is urged to include in its public
hearings a report on how much of its resident's federal taxes go toward
paying the military budget; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each city government is urged to pass a
resolution calling on our federal legislators and the US government to
move significant funds away from the military budget to
human needs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each city is urged to send a copy of the
resolution passed to its Federal legislators with a request that they respond
with their plans to reduce the military budget in favor of the human needs
budget.
